#amwritingsciencefiction

Winner of the Fiction Writers Group’s Weekly Flash Fiction Contest for the week of 12/8/19!

By: Vivian St. Crow

Genre(s): Sci-Fi

Word Count: 288 Words

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/city-urban-skyscrapers-building-182223/

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hounjou struggled not to squirm at his assigned terminal within the Hive. The unnerving honeycomb pattern reminded him of the furred xenomorphs and their bug-eyes. Their stingers.

Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he forced himself to settle back into the chair. Designed to cradle the form of many species, the microfilaments adjusted to cushion his weight, generating the false impression of drifting on a cloud. A chill surged up his spine as hairs raised on the back of his neck in response.

A honeyed voice ordered him to roll up his sleeve and insert his arm into the injection chamber. He moistened his parched lips with his tongue as he obediently followed the command, hesitating as his arm entered into the cushioned bracelet, anticipating the impending sting. Warmth spread through his hand as a soft golden glow illuminated his skin. A single beep and the disappearance of the light indicated the machine had successfully located and scanned the microchip embedded in his wrist.

“Detective Honjou of Sector 72. Welcome to the Hive.

Authorization granted per order of the Upper Echelons. We will now access, retrieve, and document all memory of incident 62905. 

Please, acknowledge.”

He spoke his consent and confirmed his data on the screen that manifested before him, surprised at the confidence and surety in his tone. 

The invasion commenced. The first injection bit in, a numbing agent and muscle relaxant concocted to interact with his unique biochemical makeup to lull his body and mind into dream-like state. A thick infusion, their tainted nectar flooded his veins with microorganisms, granting their bulging eyes a window into his subconscious.

That’s right – I’ve reached that point where I throw up one update a year.

Where am I with my work?

‘Death Echo: Vol. 3’ took a back seat to Proper Magic (a fantasy novel I want to get traditionally published). This involved a number of lengthy re-writes and edits but it’s finally reached the stage where I want others to look at it.

It’s not ready by any means, but there’s nothing further I can…