Sophia Jackson
Stories
11
Chapters
5,834
Words
1.6 M
Comments
0
Reading
5 d, 14 h
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Alden tapped on the fourth wall. "Hey," he whispered. "Another chapter is coming later today. No panicking." REQUEST FOR INSIGHT Contract III to Contract Earth, requesting insight into survival chances for one Avowed under your jurisdiction. Name: Samuel Alden Thorn Last confirmed status: Teleport approved to LeafSong University, Artona III, from Elepta Agricultural Community, Moon Thegund. Teleportation cycle initiated by Contract III. Initiation by Contract Thegund Likely statuses: Death due…-
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Alden left Elepta Farm carrying only the few things he’d brought with him from LeafSong, a pair of the irrigation sticks, and the case with the bomb in it. The sticks were Thenn-ar’s suggestion. “For water.” Alden assumed they were meant to be a backup of some kind in case the lab’s water supply failed. They didn’t look like much—just plasticky pipes with dome-shaped sprinkler heads on top—but he held onto them like they were precious. He’d taken the bomb just because he wanted to.…
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128 •
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The news that the System was down hit the Artonans hard. The man, in particular, kept asking Alden questions like he thought maybe Alden had misunderstood the first half dozen. Alden plumbed the depths of his vocabulary to find new ways to express the System’s complete absence. “It’s not here,” he said insistently. “Goodbye, Contract. No Contract on the moon. I can’t see words in my eyes.” His toddler talk would have been funny if the situation wasn’t so dire. Thenn-ar finally said…
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128 •
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Everyone kept moving after the dad and his kids were gone. Alden didn’t know what the plan was, and he couldn’t understand ninety-five percent of the conversation around him. But it made him feel better that the scientists were taking action. They stayed in the warehouse for a few minutes, examining places the demon bugs had touched, calling out information to each other. Alden watched them intently, trying to understand. They always examined the damaged spots from at least a foot away. So maybe…
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128 •
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The sun had just set, and the red street lamps were coming to life all over campus as Alden and Joe stepped into the summonarium. It was empty inside. It always was. Alden wasn’t sure if summonings just didn’t happen that often, or if Joe somehow booked the whole building every time. Even though he knew he should be focused on the trip ahead, Alden’s mind was still reeling from the conversation they’d just had. He was afraid, excited, and confused in equal measures. And more than a little…
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128 •
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“Don’t talk so loud,” Alden groaned, smashing his pillow to his face in an attempt to hide from the lights in his capsule. “What? Are you hungover?” Boe asked. “Oooo, are you? Isn’t it illegal for Avowed to drink?” Jeremy said. “Not on the Triplanets,” said Boe. “I guess they might still have age restrictions of some kind, though?” “I’m not hungover,” Alden said into the pillow. “I’m probably the only person on campus who isn’t. How can there still be an exam this…
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128 •
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THIRTY-EIGHT Hedonistic Alden was supposed to meet Bti-qwol in a specific room of a building that looked like a concrete beehive. But she met his cart on the path before it even arrived at the door and practically yanked him out of it, shouting, > “I’m half an hour early,” Alden protested, jogging so that she wouldn’t actually be dragging him along behind her. > she babbled. Alden decided to keep his mouth shut. The alien personnel manager looked like she was on the edge of either tears or…
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128 •
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“This is a scam, isn’t it?” Alden said, rubbing the spot on his forehead where a rubber ball had just bounced off. “You just want to throw stuff at me.” Joe smiled at him. “Yes. This is an ideal use of my time. I can’t imagine anything better to do with the evening.” They were standing in Joe’s office with the furniture all shoved aside so that they could play catch. The professor had brought an entire box full of balls so that they wouldn’t waste time chasing after strays, but even…
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128 •
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The hospital teleported Alden back to the summonarium, where he was met by the head of the medical team and Joe. The woman in charge of the campus medics was oddly friendly and casual, considering the one and only other time she’d spoken to Alden she’d basically told him he was useless and just to do as he was told. She complimented him on his performance, gave him an actual paper certificate of merit for exceptional service, and ordered him to take twenty-six hours off for his mental health.…
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128 •
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It took Joe around a minute and a half to handle the mishnen. He pulled something that looked like a cigar case out of his pocket. Inside it were slender glass tubes full of different substances. He selected one filled with murky gray liquid, then took a pair of black rings from one of his fingers. When he slipped them onto the vial, they locked into a set of grooves that they’d clearly been designed for. The professor turned each ring carefully, obviously trying to align them with each other in a…
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