2nd Place Winner
Ann Sosnowski
Baltimore, MD
Ann Sosnowski is a twenty-year old senior at Villa Julie College in Baltimore, MD. Ann is the editor of her college literary magazine Spectrum and will soon graduate with a degree in English Language and Literature. Currently, she is an arts and entertainment intern at two college entertainment newspapers for Baltimore and D.C.
The honing signal flashes. China pushes the throttle to the top of the control panel and puts the Galazor into orbit with Chison. The honing signal flashes again.
"Okay!" China kicks the controls and leans back against her chair. Putting her hands behind her head, she uses her boot heel to push the message receiver.
"CHINA TILLER. MESSAGE. . . FROM HEADQUARTERS. UNITED PLANETARY. COMMISSIONER AJAX. ACCEPTANCE PLEASE?"
China sighs. "I just got here. Chill." She grabs the headphones and places them over her ears. "Acceptance."
Chison’s heavenly green swirl of clouds and orange mountains vaporize as the United Planetary Shield appears behind the bulky, blue commissioner..
"Hey, Ajax. Looking good."
"Always happy to see you, China. How's old Galazor working for you?"
China snickers. "Look around. This thing'll be in space for an eternity!"
"As long as you’re around anyway. So, how's Niam doing? And Dodson?"
At the mention of his name, Dodson jumps off his seat and claims a spot next to China. Grabbing his collar, she rubs his black and orange fur. His neck rises in satisfaction.
"Dodson, my boy. The most kick ass cheetah in the galaxy. How are you doing?"
Dodson purrs in contentment.
"He's in heat. Poor thing." China rubs her face against the top of his head and dismisses him to the back of the Galazor.
"Where's Niam?"
"He's in the pod. Doing what he does best. Sleeping." China flips her star energy extraction on. "I'm fueling up. So, what have you got for me?"
Ajax blinks. "Oh, to business." He flips his computer screen up. A small block of diagrams appears on China's monitor.
"In the right hand corner, you'll see a diagram of the base that the Antifaction Weapons Coalition has set up on Chison. It’s located in a string of mountain caverns. Practically impenetrable. That's why I'm giving you the job."
"Gee, so much confidence." China smiles.
"Always." Ajax's face gains stoic feature and he shifts his body forward.
"China, this is a very important mission. You and Niam are the only ones in the UP that I would trust. You know your own kind. You know how your minds work. There is no doubt that this is an inside operation. I . . ."
"Great. So, what exactly is the mission plan?"
"Well, the Antifaction Weapons Coalition has created a new war weapon, called the star energizer. This tool works the opposite of star energy extraction. As your jeep takes power from the stars to fuel up, this tool places more energy into stars. Once the hydrogen and helium reactions are past the capacity of its mass and space, the stars become supernovas. Tremors produce reactions in surrounding stars, which then produce their own tremors and supernovas. This star energizer, if used correctly, could wipe out most, if not all, of the universe."
China puts her feet down, shifts forward, and fiddles with her sleeves. She pushes back her red hair, wipes the brown skin of her cheeks and blows out a gust of air.
"Whoa. That's. . . destructive. So, what's our plan of action?"
"The UP ambassadors have reason to believe that this station at Chison is holding the star energizer. We need you and Niam to go in and retrieve it. We've arranged for one of your friends from childhood, A.H., to help you out a bit. She's very excited to see you again. She’ll give you access and let you in on the specifics of the operation. She’s why this base is only practically impenetrable."
"So, when do we dock?"
"I'm ordering you to fifty-six hours in the sleptopods. After that, you'll make dock and maintain your instructions from there. I'll contact you at 1800 on fourth quarter moon. Good luck. Trans out."
The UP symbol flashes off the screen.
"TRANS OUT. SLEPTOPODS FLUSHING AND POCKETING. ENTRANCE."
China turns around in the chair and puts her fingers to her lips. A.H. A.H. For some reason she couldn’t place the name.
The pod door opens. Niam enters, yawning.
"Hey." He plops beside Dodson, whom greets him with a small grunt. Shifting from the cheetah, he sleepily murmurs, "We're here?"
China smirks.
"Yeah, we're here. Did you just wake up?"
"Gee, no . . . I just go around yawning all the time."
"Very funny. But, guess what? We are ordered to the sleptopods. For fifty-six hours."
Niam laughs.
"Fifty-six hours? Let's see, that'll be seventy-two straight hours in a row for me. Gee, who knew I could get paid for sleeping? So, what's our mission?"
"The AWC has set up a base on Chison. They have a star we need to get our hands on."
"O.K. Sounds good."
"Hey, Niam? Have you ever heard me mention an A.H? From childhood, training camp, or special intelligence?"
"No."
"I just can’t remember her. Must be all the desensitization."
Niam gets up and walks to the control panel. He shuts the screen, weapons, and ventilation off.
"OK. No use putting it off. Let's get those fifty-six hours of sleep." He coils an arm around China and escorts her to
the rear where the sleptopods stand ready to receive them.
"And anyway, who wouldn't want to go to bed with a hunk like me?" China pushes him and proceeds to her chamber.
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The door closes with a slamming whoosh. A roar of command sounds from a loud speaker in the corner of the solid steel room. Rows of black turtlenecks, black plastic pants, eye visors and electrodiscs. All in a straight line, the children stand hovering, ready to make their moves.
China stands third in line, her face drenched with sweat, legs shaking. The terror of this test is enough to make her pee on herself. After five years of training, China will be evaluated as to whether or not she could move into Special Intelligence training.
Her thirteen year-old body trembles above the white line. China takes a stumbled step back and instead of regaining her footing, her feet become caught up in a whirlwind of plastic. She’s laid out on the floor, multiple legs leaping over her. Laughter sounds through her ears and a grimacing visage hovers over her face.
A sharp pain grows up her leg. Then three more sharp tinges. Laughter sounds again.
"A.H.! A.H! Get away from China! China, get your ass off the ground! What the hell are you doing?!"
China slams her head to the ground and holds her legs into her chest. She notices the lighted ceiling, feels a pain in her arm, and then her sight overflows into nothingness.
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China packs her transport bag, brain racing forty miles a minute. She doesn’t know what to think about her visions in the sleptopod. The induced sleep isn’t supposed to allow dreaming.
It had been so foggy. The failing experience at Sizon training camp had been erased from her retrieval memory so she could retain full confidence in her UP missions.
A beep sounds and her vacudoor swishes open. Niam leans against the framework. "Hey, babe. Rested up and ready to kick ass, I hope."
China flashes a slight smile and shoves more clothing into her transport bag.
"China, come on. This is your mission candy. Can’t you be a little more excited?"
‘I’m excited. Seriously. It’s just. . . I’m tired. I’m never tired or exhausted after leaving the sleptopods. That’s not the point of them. I had. . . a dream."
"A dream? How can you have a dream? Aren’t those erased from our memories?"
"Yeah. At least they’re supposed to be. I feel different. Troubled. Maybe I’m just nervous for some reason about this. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. I just. . ."
Niam leans over and places his hand on China’s shoulder. She tosses her clothes down and looks into his eyes.
"What?" Her eyes gloss over and her lips curl down.
"We’re home. This mission is a piece of Sizon pie with our skills. We’ll find the star energizer and then take a long vacation."
China gives a curt pout. She didn’t feel like herself. Why was she having dreams suddenly? Why would the past try to invade her life after hours of induced sleep in the sleptopod?
Niam drifts to the door. "I’ll be down by the compubox hook-ups. Meet me there after you shut down. Take your time."
He saunters out. China sits down on her bed and puts her hands over her face. She needed to breathe, to think. Her brain grasped small memory about A.H. but then quickly pushed them out of sight, familiar yet distant at the same time. This fear related to Sizon training was overpowering.
"Maybe I’m just overly homesick. Anticipation attacks, right?" China looks at Dodson. His ears perk up and his tail flops against the metal table. China smiles. "Dodson, you’ve made me a softy."
China pushes the bag’s vacuum button and it pops and sucks itself shut. The room lights dim and the metal table recedes into the floor. China sighs. She picks up her bag.
"Come on, Doddy. Let’s go get that star energizer."
Dodson leads China out the door. Reluctantly, China looks back and the door sucks closed.
Woop. The central control station lights flash as she shuts off the life support. Hesitatingly, she pushes the view controls and stares intently out at Chison. Its orbit circles sporadically and China’s eyes waver. Tears well up in her eyes. She collapses into her control station and drops the transport bag.
"Okay, okay, okay. . . " She keeps repeating over and over as she reaches under the panel and removes her triple gun. Dodson rubs against her leg and China’s eyes continue to well. Her hands grip the panel as she tries to stop her limbs from shaking.
"What is wrong with me? Damn it. What is happening?" Her eyes divert to the transport door. She raises herself. Dodson purrs. . . and purrs. . . The triple gun falls and a shot ricochets off of the control panel. Breep! Breep!
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Breep! Breep! The targets are whizzing around China’s head. Her platform swivels and swirls left to right, then back again. Her triple gun falters and then shoots out five consecutive breaks of ammunition. She falls.
Two targets go down.
Breep! The platforms stop swirling and China leans over and braces herself against her knees.
"Pretty good run, China."
China looks up to see A.H. staring at her, complete with a grin on her face and a knife to China’s forehead.
"Good run. Too bad you fell off of the platform."
"Platform? What are you talking about?"
A.H. signals for China to look around her. China is splayed on the arena floor.
"I . . . I…" China stuttered and the arena lights flicker out. The pedestals lock down. She drops her head to the floor and sighs.
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"You know, Niam mentioned he’s worried about you."
"Ajax, I’m fine. It’s just a temporary setback. I’m due for a de-sensitization in an hour. That should knock all of the bugs out of my system and I’ll be back on track."
China sits in the Chison interstellar port, speaking to Ajax via compu-box. Her greenery tea shake brings back the nostalgia of her home planet. Niam sits at his own compu-box, catching up with family members. China looks around the port.
"You know, I think Niam and I are hanging around a little after the mission. Dodson!" Dodson whimpers and cowers against the corner of the wall, leaving the shelving unit he was previously humping.
"A break will be good for you guys. You’ve been in mission way too long not to deserve a vacation."
"Cool." She sips her shake. "So, we’re here. Where’s A.H.?"
"She’ll be there in due time. Don’t worry. I trust her."
"So is there anything else you have for me?"
"Well, we have reason to believe that someone has informed the AWC that the UP is on their way. Security measures have doubled since before you entered the sleptopods. No one has recognized you as UP; only A.H. knows. So, for the time being, you’re safe. Just be careful. Keep a low profile."
"So, what’s our chances?"
"Well, you only have to go through three security checkpoints. And those A.H. is going to get you through. There are two parts of the star extraction so you and Niam will have to split up. A.H. will escort you to a temporary headquarters where it’ll be safe to discuss details. That is where her security privileges end. Then it’s up to you guys."
"If you get caught in a mess, use the secure buttons I transported to your pouches. Put them under your upper arm. By pushing them into your skin, they deposit a mixture of chemicals into your system which will make you undetectable by both UP and AFC sensors. You’ll be invisible to the naked eye and the sensors for five minutes. Don’t use them unless completely necessary. They could pose a health risk. That’s why they are an emergency tactic only. If we sense you in the compound after the five minute interval, A.H. and her coalition will enter and . . ."
"What, what . . .I thought it was just us. Isn’t that too much focus? Too dangerous?"
"She’s part of an underground peacekeeping alliance which has kept us informed of the Antifaction’s movement. She knows the ins and outs."
"But, she’s the leaking info. Never trust a traitor."
"A.H. is an important resource of ours on Chison and I won’t lose her. I thought knowing her would make you more comfortable."
"Ajax, I’m sensing something really wrong about this mission."
"You’re safe. Just like all of the other missions, UP has your back. Where’s your confidence?"
The compu-port door opens and Niam struts in with a smile on his face.
"My parents are so excited. We’re gonna play some 3-D-rom and . . . "
"Great. That’s great. "
China turns back to the screen, gives Ajax a sour face and ends transmission.
Niam kneels next to China. "So, what’s going on?"
"Nothing. Look, I’m getting out of this joint to get desensitized. Meet me at 12C at 1830."
"Well . . . O.K."
"Well, what?" China turns on Niam.
"Nothing."
China grabs her compu-port and stomps out, leaving Dodson whimpering in the corner.
China sniffles in the stale carbon dioxide in the air tunnel. She takes huge huffs of the air to stay awake.
I don’t want to sleep. I don’t want to dream. I need to prepare.
China closes her eyes and clenches her fists. Pushing air in and out, she rolls her neck and screeches.
Have to remember to stay still. China glances sideways to see the attending desensitizer giving her disgusted looks.
Her skin puckers in and out. China feels the blood and water in her body freezing and boiling simultaneously. She breathes out and feels a pain in her heart, spreading to her neck.
"Private . . . Private, you’re finished. You don’t have to be desensitized for another quarter of moons."
China groggily pulls herself up. She sits up and feels for her weapons on the table. Putting on her belt while sauntering to the transport door, she turns and notices the attendant holding a syringe.
"What was that? What the fuck did you do with that?!"
Surprised, he jumps back.
"Just a resonator. A new type of method. I guess I should have prepped you."
China looks apologetically at the attendant.
‘O.K. Sorry. I’m just a little edgy. I’m sure you know what you’re doing."
She turns and enters the hallway.
A.H. . . . A.H. . . . Why was she still pondering this? A.H. was the junior cadet at training camp. Why would A.H. be excited to see her again?
‘I don’t trust this. I really don’t." China moves down the hallway in search of 12C, Niam and the collectiveness needed for the mission.
China leans against a corner of 12C dock, eyes closed, breathing desperately, her head pounding quicker and quicker. Dodson lies head down, purring and whimpering.
"I know boy, I know." As soon as China could blink out another spasm of pain, Niam lopes up to her with a female companion by his side. Intuition, and good old common sense, tells her this is A.H.
"Hey, look who found me." Niam gives a comforting pat to China’s shoulder and she forces a competent smile.
A.H stares dizzily at her. "Hello, China. Long time, no see. Maybe we can do a little dodge shooting later."
China shakes quick hands with A.H. and the quick contact pushes a buzz through her brain. She winces.
"You okay?" A.H. smirks.
"Yeah, fine. Let’s just get rolling. I’m suddenly not feeling too well."
In a tight line, the trio moves to the compound, A.H. looking dead straight the entire time.
With A.H. by their sides, China and Niam proceed straight through the security entrance. No problems. No short glances of suspicion from security. No need for A.H. to offer badge codes of verification. She knew A.H. had security clearance, but why weren’t they stopped at all? Why weren’t they ever asked to show any type of ID?
After many entrances and rooms, they end up in a type of supply room with box stacks and a ventilation system.
A.H. turns as soon as the doors shut. "O.K., this is temporary headquarters." She hands two small discs of vision to China and Niam, a mix between a computer and sunglasses. "These are blueprints, each unique to lead you to your piece of the star energizer. The main tunnels are breached to hell, but you’ll have a chance up to the F tunnel. At F tunnel, at 1900, fourth quarter moon, security changes so there will be enough noise to keep you safe.
Follow the ventilation systems, China east and Niam west. Drop into the room where the vision indicator stops and you’ll find your piece. Place the magnetic side of your part in your pouches against your body, so when you come back together, there will be no mishap. They are magnetically connected. This weapon is capable of a large amount of destruction. It’s a major threat. Take good care of it. Pop back into the ventilation. I will meet you back here at 1930."
China couldn’t even reply. Her brain is numb and disconnected. She brings a hand to her forehead and wipes what seems like a river of sweat from her brow.
"Any questions?"
China and Niam look at each other for a second and turn to face A.H.
"O.K. Ready, set, go."
The ventilation ducts are hot and sticky. China slips on her own sweat, trying not to fall full force into the aluminum, trying not to bring attention to her crawling through the ceiling ducts. Halfway to her destination, she hears rapid commotion and ducking down to see through the vent, sees the officers changing at F hall. A wispy tuft of blue hair streaks past and China wonders what A.H. is doing there. Wasn’t it too early for the guards to change?
A few more minutes and China is at her destination. A pop and a pull of the vent and she drops into a steel box of a room, a more elaborate supply station than the previous. She consults her disc of vision to pinpoint the star energizer tool.
"One, two, three, bingo!" China whispers as a turn of 180 degrees clicks verification onto the position of her disc. China pops open the supply lid of the first box on top of a stack and verification beeps again.
"Shit, this is way too easy."
Feeling the weight and force of the tool in her hands, she marvels over the craftsmanship of its indiscreet but powerful detail. A tool two times this big, only amounting to the size of a compubox, could create chaos four times over in the galaxy. It was revolutionary, amazing, and terrifying.
Turning around while placing the tool into her pouch, China is startled by a fluff of blue hair and a quick slap on the face, a quick numbing pulse in her brain.
It is AH. Hovering over her, she gets deja vu harking back to the Interstellar Game Competition.
"Almost seemed too easy, didn’t it, China? Almost too easy."
"What’s your problem? Where’s Niam?"
"Niam’s fine. I don’t want him. I want you, you little scutterwuss. And after ten years, I have you."
"What are you talking about?"
"How’s those headaches?"
China cringes and lies back on the concrete floor, feeling wet liquid spreading through her strands of hair.
"You know, the dreams, the pains, the bad intuitions, the numbness. Getting worse?"
"What . . . the hell. . . ahhh. . . is this all about?"
"Oh, come on! You know. You’ve always known." A.H. is holding China at minimal triple gun distance, leaning on a tower of boxes, ready to disintegrate her at any time.
"I don’t . . . get it. How do you know about the headaches?"
"Because they’re my headaches! The closer to me, the more you have to endure. Boy, the pain must be real intense by now."
China rolls to her side.
"You see, there is no star energizer. There’s a mind reverter, which you have close to your body now, but no star energizer. The mind reverter, my own invention, eventually destroys your corpus collosum. Your left and right hemispheres will no longer speak to each other. What is real, what is fake? Who knows? You’re confused."
"Why me, what do you want?"
"What do I want? Well, everything I dreamed of as a training officer after graduation and my award. Everything your excellence denied me. No matter what I did, you were always one step ahead. Every mission I got, you got one better. Every merit, yours was better. I spent years of adolescence kicking your ass and as soon as you had strength enough to shoot my badge at graduation instead of those targets, my fate changed. And yours with it."
"So fucking what! Ahh. . . All of us were on the same side."
"Yeah, but people found out that we competed in the same games. They found out you were passing up all of my abilities to excel. I had to resign. I was embarrassed. You got attack missions; I was the boring peacekeeping mission girl. Well, not anymore!"
Pacing around China, she continued.
"One thing I was always good at: mental gaming. I came back to Chison after resigning. Joined the AWC. Erased my existence from UP. Created the peacekeeping group as a deceit and became Ajax’s little informant. Spent years creating the mind reverter, or on what UP thought was the star energizer. I invaded your desensitizing, your sleptopod, invaded them with dreams. Made them nightmarish confusion. Linked you back to Chison through Ajax and UP. And now I have you under control."
China feels a tingle, her body goes numb, and the lights fall away from her eyes.
Respectful silences sound throughout the arena. China straightens her back and pulls her spandex camouflage overall down. This is it, her graduation from Sizon intelligence. After fifteen years of preparation, China has achieved her goal. She could go to any faction. Her UP appointment officer watches from the sidelines. China looks down and shifts her outfit again.
"Hey, China. China. Hey, scutter-wuss. Too bad you’re not ranked."
A.H. flashes a toothy grin and points to the Extrema Badge of Honorable Action, the first badge that UP officers received. A.H. is the only junior cadet to receive the honor as a Sizon.
China bends her head down and bites her lip. A.H.’s shadow indicates obscene gestures.
She looks around herself again and catches A.H’s. eye as she mouths the words "Piss off, scutter." China breathes in and hears her name. She steps forward to pay homage to the arena. Her demo is to triple gun shoot the target above the hover platforms. She raises herself and pulls her triple gun from her leg holster, aims, and at the last moment, turns abruptly and fires a straight shot at A.H’s badge. The badge breaks in two and shatters on the steel floor. The crowd stands and cheers in appreciation of such fine marksmanship. A.H. stands in awe and China holsters her triple gun, returning to her place in line.
"No, scutter. You piss off."
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China feels the mind reverter vibrating through her thigh and into her brain pathways. She is trying to think as clearly as possible under the conditions.
"I collected memories, hundreds from your bank collection after desensitizing and sleptopod visits. The needle at the station? A neural destimulator. Numbness, fatigue. Every time you sleep now, your own setbacks and losses in training camp will haunt you. You will never leave home."
An officer walks in.
"It worked. Niam is back on the ship waiting for China to arrive."
"Good, good."
China tries to gather her head together. No guns or weapons on her person, a gated room, four guards and a bitch. How was she going to get out of this one?
She scratches under her arm and feels short needles trying to invade her skin. What the fuck?
Oh, shit. She tries not to smile. It’s the secure button. Her chance to become invisible, her only chance to elude A.H. and get control of her mind. If she finally beat her out in camp, she could beat her out now, in this.
China glances directly up and notices a foot gap between the gate enclosure and the ceiling. Good, a way out at least. She had to time her invisibility and find her way to the nearest corridors to the back security entrance. Piece of Sizon pie.
China breathes. Ajax’s words "health risk" resonate in her brain. It’s her only hope. And this as much an emergency as ever.
Gripping the secure button and taking a deep breath, she shoves the module into her skin and winces. A pop pushes from her body and she feels a melting sensation.
The guards turn around. "Hey where is she? She’s gone!"
A.H. shoves herself around, seeming to stare at China without seeing her. "Shit, call an alert!"
China huffs. Okay. Five minutes and counting. The pain in her head begins to subside. It’s working. A.H. holds no control. China climbs the gate and hops over the foot expanse, shaking the metal and inspiring a round of rapid untargeted gunfire. How’s that for your target shooting A.H., China thinks. She slams past A.H., through the door and, catching a breath, waits at the corner for the officers to pass.
As soon as A.H. rounds the corner, China pounds her in the face. Hovering over A.H., she pulls the mind reverter from her pouch and slams the magnetic sensor onto her forehead, making it materialize.
"Why don’t you demonstrate your new toy, scutterwuss!"
A.H. goes into convulsions and China doesn’t stick around to see how they turn out.
Following her disc of vision, she makes her way through the corridors and back to the security entrance, materializing at the 12C gate. Nonchalantly, she ventures back to Niam and the Galazor.
Five minutes flat.
Niam gives China a greenery tea shake and pats her leg. "Good going, girl. Only you, I swear."
"Yes, only China." Ajax is on the compuscreen. "And you too Niam. Good call in alerting UP at the first sign of trouble."
"So how is it down there, now?"
"Well, you did a fine number on A.H., that’s for sure. As UP swept through, we found her in the corridor, her body blue and covered by tracks like a drug addict overdose. Almost all of the AWC were captured except for a few stragglers. We’re still downloading their databases, but it seems like there was a massive plan against you by A.H. She really held a grudge."
"So the star energizer? Just a ploy?"
"For now, yeah, we’re pretty sure. Their systems are advanced for renegades but not so advanced as to create something like a star energizer. But that mind reverter is one tough piece of machinery. Definitely a technological marvel. We’re holding it in our Artifacts collection, so no one can get a hold of it."
"Good thing." Niam takes a seat next to China as he speaks.
"Now that we’ve split up a large portion of AWC, it’s going to take a while for them to recuperate."
China sighs. "Yeah, me too."
Ajax pouts.
"China, my sincere apologies. I should have listened. If I knew I were being controlled. . . "
China smiled. "Don’t worry. You couldn’t have known. I didn’t know. I just had a bad feeling." She licks her lips and sits up. "So, about this vacation. . ."
"Yes, yes, I know. Go vacation. Chison is safe for you now. We’ll keep monitor on you both. Report back at 1100 next first quarter moon. We already have another assignment for you. A peace-keeping mission. Ajax out."
China lies down on her elbow and sips her shake. Niam sighs. "There’s your peacekeeping mission. So what first? 3D rom, target shooting?"
"How about sleep?"
"Sleep? I just woke up!"
"Yeah, out of induced sleep. Come on. Real sleep. Real dreams. I could really use some of that."
"Dreams."
"Yeah, dreams." China smirks. "Instead of nightmares and mind control and withering corpus collosums, dreams would be a change for the better."
Dodson humps the bed.
"I hear that." Niam slides closer to China. "So my bed, or yours?"
"Niam…" China smiles and laughs.