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Sanford, South Carolina, and Stupidity!

Posted by Russell A. Mebane on May 8, 2013 at 6:30pm
Well, Readers, I'm from South Carolina.  What is South Carolina, you ask?  It's a state in the U.S.A. in the region commonly known as "The South".  It was the state that sparked our nation's civil war.  It's a state that clings to this rebellious heritage.  One of its senators, Strom Thurmond, was the guy who spoke loudest against civil rights for Black Americans.  With all this being said, South Carolina is well-known for racism.  Everyone can agree on this.  What disturbs me today is that it is now about to be known for political stupidity.  Not idealistic stupidity, where I ramble on about values and the principles of the Founding Fathers.  South Carolina will now be known as the capital of just plain stupid in America.
Why?  Because they just elected Mark Sanford to Congress.  Mark Sanford is the former governor of South Carolina, but he's more well-known for his illicit extra-marital affair with an Argentinian national.  Am I saying that cheaters shouldn't be elected to office?  No.  Politicians cheat.  I'm a cynic.  I am a firm believer in cheating politicians.  They'll cheat on their taxes, their constituents, and their wives.  None of that is any surprise to me.  Former president Bill Clinton was a cheater, so was former California governor Arnold Scharzenegger.  Eliot Spitzer liked high-class hookers.  Their infidelities are well-known and I, personally, do not judge their politics by their family affairs.  Sex is sex.  Politics is politics.
What makes electing Mark Sanford such a stupid move is the WAY that he cheated on his wife.  For those of you who don't know, Mark Sanford went missing for six days back in 2009.  Now you might be in another country reading this, so I want to explain that a state governor turning up missing for six days is not a good thing.  No one knew where he was, including the state law division which is supposed to provide security for him.  Of course, his wife didn't know where he was either.  Before his disappearance, he told his staff that he would be hiking in the mountains for a few days. That's okay.  South Carolina has mountains that you can hike.  Lots of them.  Unfortunately, no one knew which mountain he was supposed to be hiking on.  For six days, the entire state of South Carolina, a place roughly the size of Portugal, did not know where its leader was.  For six days, 4.7 million people were leaderless.
Where was governor Mark Sanford?  In a word:  Argentina.  For those of you unfamiliar with the geography of South Carolina, I will let you know that Argentina is not in the mountains of South Carolina.  In fact, it's not in South Carolina at all.  The governor left the state without telling anyone.  Oh, but it gets worse.  Argentina is not only not in South Carolina, it's not in the U.S.  It's a country in South America.  For six days, the governor wasn't even on the same CONTINENT as South Carolina, and he told NO ONE, not even the people who are supposed to protect him.
Yes, he was cheating on his wife.  Whoop-dee-doo!  That's not an excuse to abandon your post and leave the country.  Had he been a member of our military he would have been imprisoned without question.  If he'd been a member of another country's military, he would've been branded a deserter and killed.  In case of an emergency, like a natural disaster, an American governor has to be be there to declare a state-of-emergency so that evacuations can be planned, federal money can be freed up to help the needy; and to mobilize the state militia.  Being a state governor is actually a pretty important job to have in this country.  However, you need to be IN THE STATE or at the very least, IN THE COUNTRY, to do it.
Yes, Bill Clinton cheated on his wife too...with a White House intern.  How is that better?  Simple.
"Aliens are attacking!  Where's the President?"
"In his office."
That's where the President's supposed to be.  In his office.  Arnold Scharzenegger cheated on his wife with the maid while he was governor of California.  How is that better?
"Zombies are attacking Los Angeles.  Where's the governor?
"At home."
That's okay.  His house is guarded and they have his home phone on record.  Eliot Spitzer was an attorney general (very important lawyer) for the state of New York.  He was cheating on his wife with a hooker.  Where was he?  A hotel down the street from his office with his staff's FULL knowledge.  Let's try this with Mark Sanford:
"A category 5 hurricane is heading for South Carolina.  Where's the governor?"
"Uh, the mountains..."
"Which mountain?"
"He didn't say."
"Did you call him?"
"He's not answering his phone."
He wouldn't be able to answer his cell phone since Argentina is WELL outside the calling plans of most cell phone companies in the U.S.  This is bad.  Very bad.  I understand that South Carolinians respect his political views and hope that he will express them in Congress.  However, a congressman's power comes from voting on issues, and, yes, that requires that he actually be in the room, in the country, and on the continent to do it.  Of course, when he turns up missing next time, he won't be in Argentina because he's imported his booty-call to the U.S.  She's here now.  The next time he comes up missing (because cheating is an addiction), he'll more than likely be in Siberia with some Russian heifer.  He'll still have his conservative views though, but what good are conservative ideals when you're not IN THE COUNTRY to express them?  Thus, congratulations, South Carolina!  You are now the center of stupid.

My new book "Squirrels & Puppies" is out now!

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3-Devolution...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on May 7, 2013 at 6:53am

MCOR Technologies White Paper: How 3D printing works.



Entertainment:



Last year’s blockbuster sci-fi thriller, Prometheus, owes some of its success to the visionary work of FBFX Ltd, a film industry model company, and to the 3D printers that brought their creations to life.



Set on a, shall we say, unhospitable planet, the characters in Prometheus are constantly wearing spacesuits. While the fabric portions of these spacesuits can be mocked up by costume designers, the high-tech, LED-filled helmets had to be created using 3D models. That job fell to Grant Pearmain, FBFX’s managing director, and his team.

Engineering:



One of the most difficult parts of integrating electronics with biological tissue is getting the numerous tissues and materials to meld. At a lab in Princeton, New Jersey scientists are making progress on this effort using 3D printing.


According to Michael McAlpine, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton, “In general, there are mechanical and thermal challenges with interfacing electronic materials with biological materials.” In the past, researchers have attempted to overcome this hurdle by binding a piece of “seed” tissue to an electronic component.



But at McAlpine’s lab, that un-artful solution is being challenged with new state of the art techniques. “[O]ur work suggests a new approach -- to build and grow the biology up with the electronics synergistically and in a 3D interwoven format."



To do this, the Princeton team used 3D printing to create the complex topography of the human ear with a matrix of hydrogel and calf cells. Silver nano particles, which made up the structure of the antenna, were added to the ear's form to create a new audio receiver.



Anarchy:



Nearly a year ago the founder of Defense Distributed, Cody Wilson, announced his plans to create the world’s first 3D printed gun. In the coming days, Wilson plans to release his 3D Printed gun. Its name: “The Liberator”.



Over the course of the last year, Wilson and his team at Defense Distributed have made remarkable strides in creating 3D printed components like a magazine and lower receiver for the much maligned AR-15 assault rifle.

However, Wilson’s newest design is a complete departure from their previous work in that The Liberator is a standalone, fully functional 3D printed handgun. In fact, according to Wilson the only functional component in the gun that isn’t 3D printed is the weapon’s firing pin. To comply with the US Undetectable Firearms Act, The Liberator also contains a 6 oz. piece of steel to make it detectable by metal detectors, however, anyone who prints the weapon could simply decide not to add this component to their model.

Ironically: conservative icon near-demigod Ronald Reagan banned plastic weapons, so I expect the introduction of a single nail or cube of metal into the fuselage will be challenged in courts, as no such modification can be regulated, hence anarchy (both the domestic and international terrorist kind). Mike Weisser drops the science in an open letter to Wayne LaPierre. And, the gun industry will soon realize that 3D printing can be as detrimental to bottom-line capitalism as gun sales without selling paranoia that the government is going to take them: why walk in a gun store when you ARE the gun store?
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Bootstraps...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on May 4, 2013 at 7:00am
Kiera Wilmot

Thomas Edison was known for explosions.

Throughout his childhood, Thomas Edison was full of curiosity about how things worked and always asked a lot of questions. He didn't do very well in a traditional school setting, and often got punished for annoying the teacher with too many questions. As a result, after the age of twelve, he was home-schooled by his mother. His interest in science was first sparked when his mother bought him his first scientific book, The School of Natural Philosophy. He thoroughly studied the book and performed all the experiments described in it at home. He soon set up his own laboratory in his room and began performing original experiments. After a few disasters, he was asked by his parents to move his laboratory to the basement. The explosions from the basement constantly shook the house, often upsetting his father.

But...the experiments did NOT stop.

A motivational speaker once used Edison as an example of perseverance.

Lab Assistant (exasperated after an explosion):

When are you going to give up this STUPID idea? That was the 9,999th time you have NOT invented this light bulb! You could have gotten us killed!

Edison:

That's right. This is the 9,999th trial. But, please make note of the explosive application that might prove useful later...

I've referenced my own 1st experiment as a spectacular explosion. It was my parents' support that carried me through some rough times in science, one of which my middle school science teacher called me "a big dummy" in front of class. I LAUGHED in his face! Did he want me to kowtow to his lowered expectations? Did he not know Lewis Latimer aided Edison in his "stupid idea"? Who DID he think he was? When you have confidence and support from loved ones, you automatically have chutzpah. As I did, this young queen should do so as well: hold your head high.

 

Sometimes, science can be dramatic, dangerous, and if you survive the adventure: thrilling and invigorating. Not de-emphasizing safety here, just access...to knowledge, and ultimately power and self-determination.


News of Kiera Wilmot’s arrest has seriously unnerved me. She is the Florida high school student who was experimenting with common household chemicals in science class that resulted in a minor explosion. There were no injuries and no damage to school property; however, she was taken away in handcuffs, formally arrested and expelled from school.1

 

A 16 year old Florida student with good grades, who is described by her principal as a “good kid”, is now facing felony charges for a science experiment gone wrong.2


Really?

A few probing questions...

  • Where was the teacher? Answered: this was done before classes began.

  • Who was harmed? Answered: no one.

  • What do we do with white collar computer hacks? Answered: we tend to hire them to IT firms.

  • What are we doing to give the next generation enthusiasm towards STEM careers in a globe increasingly complex, defined by science advancing at light speed, needing this kind of adventurous wonder, when life-and-death decisions are going to be predicated on how deep their critical thinking skills are, their sense of wonder is developed?

...Nothing!

And lastly: which side of the criminal justice system would you rather see Kiera on?

Answer: I'd prefer her in a research lab, or working at an engineering firm, personally.

Smiley

1. SciAm The Urban Scientist: Florida teen charged with felony for trying science
2. Your Black World: 16 Year Old Charged With Felony After Science Project Goes Wrong
Change.org:
Bartow Police Chief, Tammy Glofelty - State PA: Drop Felony Charges and Release Kiera Wilmot

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400 km Above...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on May 3, 2013 at 8:07am
Perched on the International Space Station around 400 km above the Earth, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) collects data from primary cosmic rays before they can interact with the atmosphere.
Image credit: NASA.

The international team running the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) has announced the first results in its search for dark matter. They indicate the observation of an excess of positrons in the cosmic-ray flux. The results were presented by Samuel Ting, the spokesperson of AMS, in a seminar at CERN on 3 April, the date of publication in Physical Review Letters.

 

The AMS results are based on an analysis of some 2.5 × 1010 events, recorded over a year and a half. Cuts to reject protons, as well as electrons and positrons produced in the interactions of cosmic rays in the Earth’s atmosphere, reduce this to around 6.8 × 106 positron and electron events, including 400,000 positrons with energies between 0.5 GeV and 350 GeV. This represents the largest collection of antimatter particles detected in space.

 

CERN Courier: AMS measures antimatter excess in space

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Mothers Day Card-send it digitally to a mama u know

Posted by Robert Trujillo on May 2, 2013 at 11:30am

Peace BSFS family, I had the chance to create some artwork for this campaign. Its aim is to create beautiful images of families you dont get to see at Cvs or Walgreens. These cards celebrate women of color, queer families, and the one I worked on celebrates fathers of color. These are easily shareable online, and customizable and they're free. Spread the word, another world is possible.

Feel free to use these images if you feel them. And check out this video

Strong Families "Mamas Day" Cards

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Acing His Theory...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on May 1, 2013 at 8:30am


There is a difference when science uses the word theory -- and the ubiquitous phrase "in theory" in conversation. A theory is a well-researched explanation of a hypothesis or group of hypotheses, corroborated by experimentation following the Scientific Method, peer review and repeated - often thousands of times - with reliable results. Thus, you have flu vaccines, AZT, GPS, nanotechnology, your cell phone; the Internet.

When someone ask me "do you believe in the Theory of Relativity and/or Theory of Evolution," my retort is always "do you believe in the Theory of Pythagoras (Pythagorean Theorem)?" I always get strange looks. Again: a2 + b2 = c2 fits the previous paragraph's description.

A fitting comparison for the genius that opened our understanding to the geometry of spacetime...

About 7,000 light-years from Earth, an exceptionally massive neutron star that spins around 25 times a second is orbited by a compact, white dwarf star. The gravity of this system is so intense that it offers an unprecedented testing ground for theories of gravity.

 Scientists know general relativity, proposed by Albert Einstein in 1915, isn't the complete story. While it does very well describing large, massive systems, it's incompatible with quantum mechanics, which governs the physics of the very small. For something extremely small, yet extremely massive — such as a black hole — the two theories contradict each other, and scientists are left without a physical description.

 Rare systems like this binary star pair offer a chance to probe the boundary between the two theories, and search for possible openings toward new physics that could reconcile them.

 "We thought this system might be extreme enough to show a breakdown in general relativity, but instead, Einstein's predictions held up quite well," Paulo Freire, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany, said in a statement.

 

Space.com: Einstein's Gravity Theory Passes Toughest Test Yet, Clara Moskowitz

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Bert and Ernie...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on April 30, 2013 at 7:41am


The two observed events from August 2011 (left panel) and January 2012 (right panel). Each sphere represents a DOM (digital optical module). Colors represent the arrival times of the photons where red indicates early and blue late times. The size of the spheres is a measure for the recorded number of photoelectrons. Credit: arXiv:1304.5356 [astro-ph.HE]

(Phys.org) —Researchers at the Antarctic research station IceCube are reporting that they've detected the highest ever energy neutrinos ever observed. In their paper they've uploaded to the preprint server arXiv, the team describes how in analyzing sensor data over the period 2010 to 2012 they found evidence of two neutrino induced events that were on an order of ten times the energy of any previous event.

Neutrinos are of particular importance to researchers because they have no charge and very little mass. This means they are free to travel through space without having their paths changed due to gravitational or magnetic forces, a trait that makes them very valuable for one day locating their source. The two neutrinos recorded at IceCube (dubbed Bert and Ernie) are of particular relevance because the odds are very good that they came from the far reaches of space, rather than as a by-product of a collision between cosmic rays and Earth's atmosphere—the researchers give it a confidence level of 2.8 sigma—meaning that the two neutrinos are very likely the first detected from outside the solar system since 1987, when detectors recorded neutrinos believed to have come from a supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Phys.org: Researchers at IceCube detect record energy neutrinos

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Euripides' Pride...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on April 29, 2013 at 10:41am


Meet Francisca Okeke, Professor of Physics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She recently received the L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award for her significant contributions to the understanding of daily variations of the ion currents in the upper atmosphere which may further our understanding of climate change. She was also the Dean in the faculty of Physical Sciences at her University, from 2008 to 2010.

Professor Okeke spoke with us about her background and inspiration, the cultural challenges she overcame in achieving success and how she uses her position to encourage and inspire young women scientists in Nigeria.

What challenges did you face, in particular, with regards to the stereotypes of women and the culture in your country, Nigeria, when you decided to get involved in science?

In the past, the core sciences such as physics were regarded as male domains where women were expected not to be seen but to be heard. People used to think that when you get into these core science subjects, like physics, the characteristics that are most worthily accepted for women in our society, including passivity, emotionality, intuition and receptivity would no longer be possessed by that woman. Therefore they fought against women trying to embark on studying these core subjects.

But, my own case was a little different; my father was an old graduate of mathematics who was my mentor, so I did not face that in my family because he was supportive of everything about science. Not only did he encourage me, he was my mentor. He planted and watered the seed of my academic excellence which we are celebrating today. He laboured and inspired my love for science in general, and mathematics in particular. That love for mathematics later metamorphosed into a special love for physics.

"To a father growing old, nothing is dearer than a daughter." Euripides

UNESCO: Inspiring Youth: Professor Francisca Nneke Okeke

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Requiem...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on April 28, 2013 at 8:03am


Professor Edmund Zingu served on the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP) Council from 1999 to 2006, and was President of the SAIP from 2003 to 2004. He was in fact the first black President in the history of the SAIP[1].

 

He played crucial leadership roles in many projects, particularly in physics related development issues. He was Vice President of the IUPAP, and Chair of the C13 Commission on Physics for Development. He was primarily responsible for bringing to South Africa the iconic ‘Physics for Sustainable Development’ conference in 2005[2] as a part of the International Year of Physics. This conference cast a distinct spotlight on physics as an instrument for development in Africa.

 

We would like to specifically mention his tremendous contribution to two extremely important projects of the Institute. The first was the highly successful Shaping the Future of Physics, where he contributed to the design of the project and also served as chair of the Management and Policy Committee that oversaw the international review in 2003.

 

Professor Zingu began his physics career at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). He was a materials physicist, and with his collaborators at Cornell University invented a new method to study atomic diffusion by transmission electron microscopy[4]. Later he studied diffusion phase transitions in thin films due to induced thermal stress[5]. He had a period of employment at Turfloop, QwaQwa Campus, then as Head of the Physics Department and later Dean of Basic Sciences (1990-1993) at MEDUNSA. He later returned to UWC and served as Head of the Physics Department (1994-1998), and finally Vice Rector of Mangosuthu University of Technology in Umlazi, Durban until the time of his retirement.

 

Edmund was a pioneer for physics in post-apartheid South Africa, a visionary, a tireless campaigner for strengthening the discipline of physics* and, above all, a true gentleman. His leadership and contributions were characterized by sensitivity, perceptiveness, vision, ethics, wisdom, global standards and great industry. He will be sorely missed.

 

NSBP Multi Briefs: Professor Edmund Zingu
NSBP Vector: Professor Edmund Zingu
SAIP: Professor Edmund Zingu Passes On

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The PAnd0RA Ultimatum: Season 1 complete!

Posted by H. Wolfgang Porter on April 26, 2013 at 11:52pm

The PAnd0RA Ultimatum season finale' ends with 'Epilogue'. Many questions have arisen in the wake of the fiery end of the Transport DROMEDARY. Have the sinister forces completely undone Pandora and the crew? Was the unleashed technological nightmare destroyed before it could descend upon the Planet AIPOTU? Will the terrible weapon aboard the Attack Transport WHIPLASH be deployed thus condemning an entire star system? All these questions and more will be answered in the Fall of 2013 with the 2nd Season of 'THE PAND0RA ULTIMATUM!'

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Carbon Atmosphere Dwarfs...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on April 27, 2013 at 7:04am
Smashing White Dwarfs - Max Planck Institute

97% of stars, including the Sun, will end their stellar lives as white dwarf stars. White dwarf stars no longer undergo fusion in their cores, so they slowly cool off. This cooling rate, along with the present temperature of a white dwarf, can be used to determine the age when stars began to form in a region. Merging white dwarfs are believed to be the cause for type Ia supernovae, which are used as the basis for most of our cosmology.



There are a number of different types of white dwarfs, identified and classified based on spectral characteristics. These characteristics also give some clues as to the progenitors of white dwarfs. For example, “DA” refers to a white dwarf with hydrogen lines. DBs have helium lines. DCs have no obvious lines (the C stands for continuum). DQs have carbon lines. DZs have metal lines and no hydrogen or helium. Additionally, astronomers will add a V at the end if the white dwarf is pulsating. The paper today presents data on a new DQV, a variable, carbon atmosphere white dwarf.
 

•Title: Photometric Variability in a Warm, Strongly Magnetic DQ White Dwarf, SDSS J103655.39+652252.2
•Authors: Williams, K.A., Winget, D.E., Montgomery, M.H. et al.
•First Author Institution: Texas A&M University – Commerce

 

Astrobites: A New Pulsating, Magnetic, Carbon Atmosphere White Dwarf

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Lasting Batteries...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on April 26, 2013 at 2:08pm
ETH-Zurich researchers use x-ray tomography to screen lithium ion battery electrodes and can reconstruct the microstructure in high resolution. This helps to understand the discharging and charging process better and develop optimized electrodes.

Mobile phone batteries that last longer, car batteries that enable you to drive further, storage that accumulates a lot of energy from wind and solar generators. Many applications require better batteries. The research essentially focuses on three aspects here: to increase the energy density – in other words, store more energy in a smaller battery, improve the discharging and charging speed by changing and controlling the material, shape and size of the electrochemically active particles and the structure of the battery electrodes in a targeted fashion, and work on the durability of the battery in general, by trying to understand the degradation mechanisms that shorten the life of batteries.

Martin Ebner, a doctoral student from the group headed by Vanessa Wood, a professor at the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, has been examining the issue of the discharging and charging speed. In order to understand what influences it, he has been researching the microstructure of the electrodes of commercially available and home-made lithium ion batteries. Knowing this also enables us to understand the charging and discharging mechanism better and endeavour to produce optimised electrodes with more efficient batteries in mind.

ETH Zurich: Tortuous paths hamper ion transport

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Dark Lightning...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on April 25, 2013 at 8:03am

No, not him...

Star Wars Wiki



Scientists in the US say they have found a dramatic new electrical-discharge mechanism that could explain how thunderstorms can produce flashes of gamma radiation. Called "dark lightning", the effect is silent, invisible to the eye and a potential threat to aeroplane passengers – at least according to the researchers' models. This is because such lightning has the potential to produce intense terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) and could deliver a radiation dose equal to a full-body X-ray-tomography (CT) scan to nearby air travellers.



TGFs are extremely bright pulses of gamma rays emanating from the Earth's atmosphere. They last just a few tenths of a millisecond but are capable of temporarily blinding satellite-based instruments located hundreds of kilometres away. Scientists have known about TGFs since the early 1990s, when they were discovered by accident by instruments designed to measure gamma rays from distant astrophysical sources such as supernovae and black holes.

 

Physics World: Dark lightning sheds light on gamma-ray mystery

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Togather.com - new way to bring readers and authors together

Posted by Anne Gray on April 24, 2013 at 1:29pm

I recently spoke to one of the founders of the start-up togather.com -- he's an sf author who was disappointed when he had some poorly attended readings, realized this was a common problem, and decided to see if he could create a new kind of venue. The idea is to create in-person or online meetups with authors where there's some level of audience committed in advance to attend and/or buy a book. He felt their best events were ones in which the author did a reading or signing and Q & A and all the attendees already had the book and had read it. (Their system can facilitate book sales in advance).

I think it's an interesting idea, but I was disappointed to note that aside from Tobias Buckell, who first brought my attention to the site with some posts on his blog, the (relatively small) set of sf authors they have signed up so far are all white, and most of them are male. I would love to see that change.

Go to http://www.togather.com/authors to see what I mean.

The site is in Beta right now, so I'm not sure how rapidly they are taking on new authors, but I wanted to bring it to wider attention in case folks here are interested in trying it as an additional way to promote your work and meet your fans. I'd be curious to see if sf conventions could pair up with Togather to try to improve attendance and other planning for readings at cons. Andrew was open to that idea.

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Excerpt from my book The MisEducation of a Minor

Posted by Manny L. Birch on April 23, 2013 at 11:41am

I.  Brother  Lee

     Lee was the most extraordinarily average boy you'd ever meet, at least that’s what he thought.  In reality, Johnny Lee Belamo was a very different story.  He was good looking, smart and athletic but he didn't stand out in a crowd.  He stood at 5'7, 140 lbs with caramel skin and curly brown hair with an auburn patch above his eye that he kept styled in a low Caesar.  The one thing people would notice about him was his eyes, twin pools of quicksilver, and incidentally that is the thing he hated about himself. He wore brown contacts to try to hide them.  It didn’t help that his mother said that he had his father’s eyes. 

     Lee's mom, Erica, was a cop.  Despite her small size, 5'2 and 110lbs , she

was hardly the person you wanted to cross. She kept her brown hair about shoulder length.   It matched almost perfectly with her chestnut colored eyes.   Even though she was in her late 30's, none of her friends could believe that she was old enough to have a teenaged son.  Erica never kept information about Lee's father a secret but she never went out of her way to explain things to him either.  "It's complicated and child support is a beautiful thing." was her typical response.       

     Lee was a pretty friendly kid, he could talk to anyone, if he wanted to. At school he was well liked, far from popular but made few enemies. Erica would always ask him why he never invited people over or why he never visited anyone.  He would simply say, 'I don't want to clean up after they leave,' or, 'I don't feel like leaving home.'  She tried her hardest to get him to go out and have fun. 

            On her way home from work one day she saw two boys robbing a grocery store.  One boy was tall and slim and was wearing a black hoodie and a black cap that covered up his mess of blonde hair.  The other boy was shorter, probably about 5'6” wearing jeans and a black tee shirt. He had raven hair pulled back into a ponytail that hung to his shoulders. Since she was off duty she called in the crime.  About five minutes into the robbery the store owner started shooting.  She leapt in to break it up and  was able to subdue the shorter boy without a problem.  The taller boy began to run and the store owner chased him.  The kid was fast and the chubby store owner could barely keep up.  His 43 years of bad eating and in activity had definitely taken its toll. 

            The cops came just in time to catch the boy.  The store owner however wanted to punish the boy himself.  The two had robbed him several times.  The owner

pulled out his gun and began trying to shoot the boy while he was still in the cop’s grasp.  The cop threw the kid onto the floor out of the way and then got cover for himself.  The officer called for back up and began to return fire.  As this was happening Erica was coming out of the store with the other boy.  She saw the gunfire and decided to head back in when the store owner noticed her and the boy.  He turned his fire on them.   Erica tried to pull the boy out back but he ran the wrong way. She ran after him.  The cop shot and killed the store owner, only to find that Erica had been hit by a bullet meant for the boy.  She laid there groaning in a pool of blood.  The officer's back up got there just in time to see her go down. The ambulance came and carted her to the nearest hospital. 

            Lee was called from school to the hospital.  Steve, Erica's live in boyfriend, picked Lee up from school and drove him to the hospital.  Lee arrived just in time for the doctors to tell him his mom would be paralyzed from the waist down.  Lee was openly devastated but even more grateful his mom was still alive.  He went in to see her but she was barely awake.

            "I told you, you weren't Wonder Woman," Lee joked trying to hold back the tears.

            "I was so, you didn't know Wonder Woman was in a wheelchair." she responded groggily.

            "So, what are we gonna do?" he asked

            "I don't know yet, I'm still working out all the details.  As soon as I do know I will tell you," she answered

            That was the last they spoke that night.  Lee sat by his mother's side until the next morning when she made him go home and go to sleep.  She came home from the hospital nearly a month after that.  They got along pretty well under the circumstances.  Erica hired a home attendant to stay with her while Lee was at school or Steve was away doing research, which he did quite often.  Lee, Erica and Stacy, the home attendant, got along pretty well for the next year.   Stacy was young, about 24, she was slender but toned.  She was 5'6 with long dark hair that was contrasted by her sparkling blue eyes.  Lee later found out she was half Japanese, half Irish.  Lee tried pretty hard to hide the fact that

he had a crush on her.

            Lee's grades improved, simply because his mom was able to watch him all the

time.  He still hadn't made many friends but he had more than before the incident.

            Lee's 15th birthday was on Saturday and his mother really wanted to do something nice for him.  He had taken care of her for so long and so well that she thought he deserved a break. So she sent him to her friend's boarding school for the weekend, hoping he would like it and want to attend.

            It was located in a small town called Hingham outside of Boston, Massachusetts.   Anything you could ask for you could get in that place.  It was a resort with classrooms.  Lee got there at 5pm on Friday night and immediately felt out of place.  He was greeted by one of the students on campus.

            He was 17 or 18, about 6 '2“, 195 pounds, black hair, chocolate skin and naturally

gray eyes.  Lee thought he might have been a football player by his size.  The kid was all muscle and knew it. He was wearing a white button up shirt, blue tie and blue slacks.  Everything was very neatly put together and overall added to his massive appearance. They walked around campus for awhile in silence, until they saw a dark haired girl named Janet.  

            “Hey, how's it going?" Janet asked. "Oh, who's this?  Are you two related?"

It hadn't occurred to them that they looked similar to each other before this.  The only

differences between them were eye color, which without contacts was identical as well, and size.

            "No this is that kid from New York that Dr. B told us about." he responded.

            "What is his name?" Janet asked as of the boy as if Lee wasn't there. Then the boy realized he had not bothered to find out anything about Lee. 

            "Uhh "

            "It's Lee.  What's yours?" Lee asked facing them both.

            "Well my name is Janet and this is Brian.  It is nice to meet you.  Are you going to school here?" Janet responded.

            "I don't think so.  I could never afford this place." Lee answered.

            "No one sees this place unless they can afford it" Janet replied.

            "No I think he is right, he is just here for the weekend." Brian replied with a hint a jealousy.

            "Whatever. Nice meeting you." Janet said as she walked away.

            "So where are we going?" Lee asked his guide.

            "To Dr .B's office. He wants to see you."

            It was a long walk back and they walked it in silence.  When they arrived Dr. B had them sit in two plush leather chairs in front of him.  Dr. Barter was a tall man probably 6'3 or 4.  He was close to 200 lbs.  He looked like he had worked out every day of his life.  Lee would have thought he was in his late 30's if he hadn't started going gray. Even his beard was flecked with gray strands.  His gray eyes were hidden behind a pair of Gucci frames that made him seem like he was an actor playing a high school principal rather than being one in real life. He was about to begin speaking when he received a phone call.  As he listened his face grew solemn and he focused in on Lee.  As he was about to hang up, he fanned Brian away.  Lee turned to leave also.

            "No not you, just him. Sit." the doctor said in a very commanding voice.  Lee obeyed him as if he were the man's wayward son about to get it. 

            "I've got very bad news," he began. "Your mother was killed in fire today shortly after you got onto the plane."

            "What?!?! What the fuck?! Why would you say that?  You're a

fucking liar. You're lying!" Lee screamed.

            "First off, why would I lie about that?  Second, don’t curse at me again." Dr. Barter answered calmly.

             "Your lying, the hospital would have called my cell phone." he retorted.  Through that movie magic kind of irony at that exact moment his phone rang.  He checked the caller ID and refused to answer. 

            "No. Please be lying!" he whispered knowing where the call was coming from. He began to cry.

             Dr. Barter never lost his composure but was able to calm Lee with the warmest hug.  It was almost as if Lee couldn't feel anything.  Then his brain started to kick in. He shoved away from Dr. Barter. 

            "Why did they call you first? How did they know I was here?  And how did you know my mom? And why am I here?" Lee asked in a storm of questions he knew the doctor could answer.

            "Not now.  I will explain soon but you need your rest now."  Dr. Barter responded almost lifting the anxiety from Lee.  

            He personally escorted him to a room where he would stay the night before he went home the next morning.  He couldn't think of his mother as being dead it just didn't click in his head.  All he could think of was the paternal voice playing in his memory saying the answers would come soon. 

 

 II. Happy Birthday

 

             The next morning Dr. Barter took Lee to the airport himself. They drove the short distance to Logan airport in Boston and prepared for their flight.  Lee wasn't ready to go back.  It couldn't be true.  His mother was strong and tough and she would never die on him like that.  She wouldn't leave him. 

            As Lee sat more questions entered his mind.  Where am I gonna live?  Where am I gonna get money?  Who's gonna cook? Who’s gonna plan the funeral?  How am I supposed to do this?

            His heart raced and he looked around the airport as if trying to find answers.  There were none in sight.  The only things he could find were more questions.  How did the fire start?  Where was Stacy?  Why didn't she try to get out?  Why wasn't I home?   Why did she leave me like this?  His brain was on overload.  His heart was ready to burst.  He could no longer process what was going on.  He was about to pass out when Dr. Barter placed his hand on Lee's shoulder. 

            "Calm down.  Everything will be fine.  Just sit down.  I'm gonna go get you some water and a sandwich.  Turkey is ok right?" Dr. Barter said in that voice that stripped Lee of all fear and worry.  He felt like a little kid who was lost in a mall, not a boy who had just lost his mother.  When he heard that voice he knew everything was really ok.   

            "Now first things first, we have to call and notify the rest of your family.“ Dr. Barter said handing him the sandwich and bottle of water. 

            "I don't have any family.  She never talked about any family.  I don't even know who my dad is." Lee responded sadly.

            "What did I say? Calm down and eat.  I will handle everything.  She did have family, they just didn't speak very often." Dr. Barter said.

            "How did you know her?" was the only response that Lee could think of.

            "Your mother and I were old friends.  We kept in contact all these years because of…" He answered.  "As for those other questions you must have..."  Lee was very confused now.  How could Dr. Barter always know what he was thinking?

            "I have been an educator for nearly 20 years.  I know how kids think.  We also have some things in common.  Half the questions you have, I had when my mom died.  I was about your age, maybe a little older.  But as I grew older I learned there is always a reason for things. Don't worry about anything, your mother wouldn't want you to have all that stress," Dr. Barter answered. 

            There was a long silence while they waited for their plane.  They began to board and they still remained in silence.  Lee was glad.  He didn't want to talk.  He didn't know what to say, and every time he thought of something to say it turned out to be more questions.  He wanted to ask them but he didn't want to disobey Dr. Barter.  He felt comfort in everything Dr. Barter said.  It was strange.  He'd never felt so at ease with anyone before. 

            As they settled into their seats on the plane Lee began to daydream about fun times he had with his mother.  He was beginning to tear up but stopped himself because he didn't want Dr. Barter to see him cry again.  He felt like he had to be strong around him.  He was drifting off to sleep when another question popped in his head.  This one he could not ignore no matter how much he wanted to. 

            "Where are we going?"  He blurted out.  Before Dr. Barter could answer Lee started asking a barrage of question. "Wasn't there a fire?  I have no house.   Where am I going to live?"  The flood gates opened and he couldn't stop.  "Who will support me? Will I have to get a job?  You said you're gonna do the funeral stuff, right?  Do you know where Steve he isn’t answering his phone? Will I have to live with one of those relatives you told me about?  What if they don't like me? What-"

            "- Just calm down.  We are going to New York and I will explain everything else once we get there. So just try and get some sleep.  We will be there in a little while so I will tell you then.  If you are sleeping the time will pass more quickly." Dr. Barter said with a hint of frustration.

            That was the last thing spoken for the rest of the ride.  Lee still kept coming up with questions but didn't dare ask them, at least not yet.  They touched down at Newark Airport at about one that afternoon.   Dr. Barter rented a car for them and they drove to a hotel in the city where they would be staying.  He got a suite that had a bedroom and a lounge area that contained a pull out couch.  He figured since it had a door they would feel like they were in two different rooms but he would still be able to check on Lee if he felt he needed to.  Dr. Barter made a few calls while they were at the hotel.  Lee didn't know who he was talking to or what they were talking about.  He wanted to take a shower so he went to his bag and realized those were the only clothes he had.  It was once again time for questions.

            "Hey Dr. B.  I don't have any clothes besides these.  When are we going home?  Wait, is there anything left?  When am I going to see my mother?  When are you gonna answer my questions from the plane?" Lee started his torrent of questions again.

            "Ok. I did tell you I would answer your questions.  First, your mom didn't get burned in the fire, she died of smoke inhalation. The firefighters got her out but it was already too late.  Your room was the worse burnt.  So I don't think you have any clothes left.  I will buy you more, don't worry about that. Ok what else was there?  You will not have to get a job; your father will support you.  You will live at my school as a student until college.  I have set up most of the funeral arrangements. The cops are still looking for Stacy.  And as for seeing your mother, we are going there as soon as you get ready to leave."  He responded.  Dr. Barter thought this would be the end of the questions but it only inspired more.

            "Where's my father?  Who is he?  Why hasn't he ever come to see me? What about Steve?"  Lee asked

            "It didn't start in the kitchen.  It started in her bedroom.  The police think Stacy was responsible for the fire.  Your mom got trapped in her room when it started."  He responded.  Lee took a moment to think.  He knew Dr. Barter had ignored his question but the answers he was willing to provide were pretty good too.  Finally he made up his mind.

            "Why would Stacy try to kill us?  This doesn't make sense." he questioned back. 

            "I have a question for you, what do you really know about Stacy, or your mother for that matter?" Dr. B questioned.

            "What?  What the fff...hell are you talking about? What does me knowing anything about Stacy have t-"

            "-Just answer me one question and I will explain what it has to do with anything.  Do you have any special abilities?"

            "I can read fast."

            "I'm very serious Jonathan.  Answer my question.  DO YOU have any special gifts?" he said but much more demanding this time.  Lee stopped and looked him in the eyes before answering.

             "Yes.  I can control fire but what the hell does that have to do with anything?  I

didn't start the fire.  I was with you, and no one knows I can do it.  Well except mom,

Dr. Steve and Stacy."

            "Your mom, that man and who?" Dr. Barter said trying to convey his point.

            "Stacy," Lee said finally seeing the point.  "But why would she want to kill mom

because of my powers?"  Lee said still a very lost.

            "Your mom didn't tell you much at all did she?"  He sighed and looked away for a moment before he began again.  "Well, there are groups of humans that don't like people with special abilities.  They try to kill them off.  Especially if their research deems them as a potential threat."

            "What the hell does that have to do with me?  I can barely use my powers.  They always shoot out of control and cause things to catch on fire. And why did she kill mom?"

            "Your mother was also a special person.  Most people call themselves mutants.  I don't really like the way that sounds though.  But your mother was a mutant, a very powerful mutant at that.  She was a target since before you were born.  Her sister was one of these mutant hunters.  I think for Stacy you would have just been a bonus kill.  However, your mother began to suspect that Stacy was up to something, so she sent you to me for protection."

            "Ok, so all of this is getting really complicated and I'm still very, very lost.  Why did she send me to you?  What the hell is her sister a mutant hunter for?  And what the fuck is going on?"

            "Watch your damn mouth."

            "NO, you guys have been fucking lying to me my entire fucking life.  My mother who I thought told me everything didn't tell me shit, her nurse whom I trusted with my life is trying to kill me and I am stranded here with you Random man number 1 who gives all these bullshit, cryptic answers that only cause me to have more questions!"  Lee screamed nearly crying.

            "I think you need to calm down and just take a breath.  Your mother was simply trying to protect you.  And as for Stacy it is no one’s fault but hers that she turned out the way she did.  And you being with me was your mother's choice and I think that you should respect her wishes." Dr. Barter replied in a surprisingly soothing voice.

            "You're hiding something, aren't you?  I can feel it.  You are lying and trying to keep something from me."

            "I am trying to get you to calm the hell down.  Everything I have told you has been the truth."

            There was a long pause.  Lee looked around still confused, sad and angry.

            "Your right, I'm sorry.  You have been really helpful and really honest with me."  There was a short pause in his speech. "But you have continued to avoid the question of why you?  Why your school?  Why, if you and my mother were so close did she never mention you, ever?"

            "I have told you several times how your mother and I knew each other.  I have also told you how and why she sent you to me.  So why do you keep insisting I am hiding something?"

            Lee stopped asking for a moment and just began to stare almost blankly into the face of Dr. Barter.  Dr .B stared him directly back into the eyes as if he could see right through Lee.  This connection lasted only a few seconds but it gave Lee his final and probably the most important question he could think of.

            "Who's my father?" 

            Dr. Barter was shocked by the directness of this question.  He wasn't at all prepared for it and had to take a moment to evaluate the question again.

            "It's a simple question.  I think you should be able to answer since you and my mother were so close.  Since you know everything else about her and about me.  Since she felt safe enough to send her only son off to be with a stranger instead of Steve.  Since she obviously told you things about me that she didn't tell most people.  You seem to know a lot to be Random man number 1.”  There was another short pause before Lee continued.  "You know what you don't have to answer that question.  I don't need to know right now.  Let's just go see mom.  You can tell me all about it later." Lee stared into Dr. Barter's eyes for a moment.  "I didn't notice before but you have gray eyes.  I bet people notice that all the time.  Did you know I wear brown contacts.  My mom used to tell me that I had my dad's eyes.  But whatever I wanna go see her."

            Lee began to walk out of the door.  He stopped and looked back at Dr. Barter who seemed a bit rattled. 

            "Hey Dad" he said.  Dr. Barter raised his head to acknowledge him and then realized what he had just done. 

            "Wow.  You looked me in the face and lied.  Are you proud of yourself?  You not only ignored my questions but you lied to me.  You fucking asshole.  You've known all this time about everything and you just let me feel stupid.  You told her not to tell me didn't you?"

            Dr. Barter just lowered his head in shame. He just stood there and allowed Lee to rant.

            "Nooo, don't get all quiet now.  Answer my damn question.  DID YOU TELL HER NOT TO TELL ME?" Dr. B continued to stand there in silence.

            "Answer me. ANSWER ME, ANSWER ME!"  Lee screamed with tears streaming down his face. 

            "It's complicated, but its not…" 

            "Excuse me?  It's comp...  So what, I'm just the good Doctor's little fucking secret. His extramarital consequence.  What a great man.  Everyone must love you.  So, how 's the wife?  Any kids?  Anymore people being lied to?"

            "She died. "  

            "That doesn't explain why you're still lying to me.  And you never seem to want to answer all of my questions.  How many other kids do you have?" This assault seemed to give Dr. B back some of his old control of the situation.

            "First off, if you believe you are my son then you need to know then next time you curse at me I will slap the shit out of you. Second, we are done questioning me.  If you

want to see your mother, get your shit on and let's go or else go to your room and shut the

fuck up.  Those are your options.  Chose carefully because you only get one chance to

choose."

            "I hate you.  Take me to see my mother."  Lee couldn't feel anything but anger at this point. He felt the anger rising and had to struggle hard to keep his power in check.

            "You can hate me all you want.  Just remember what I said.  And I put some work in your bag for when you get back.  Have it done by Monday. And learn to control your powers before I control them for you."

            When Dr. Barter looked up again, Lee was firing sparks from everywhere.  It was all pouring out of him. The carpet at his feet began to burn and melt.  Carpet fibers flew, like animals running from a forest fire.  The flames started to grow behind him, but only behind him.  They were echoing his fury, a fury his body had never felt in all of his 15 years.  They danced and leaped like the cape of the devil. His other powers were also starting to surge.  He had even less control over these since he never used them. He could barely look at anything without lightning striking it. Lightning leaped from his eyelashes with every blink and swarmed around and through his hair.  His fingertips were an inversion of the New York skyline on the fourth of July.  Gray sparks that matched his eyes snaked down his legs. Chairs, a desk, the mattress, and the TV levitated around him.  He was using powers he didn't know he had and quickly losing the battle for control. 

            "Get them under control now!  You've got 'til the count of three. 1. 2 thr-"

            This sent Lee beyond the edge and he just lost all control.  He felt his mind reach out and attempt to attack Dr. B, he saw all the chairs head at him and he felt the flames spreading around the room. He felt energy coursing through his body.  And then

                    He felt nothing.                                                                                      

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

 

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Looking For Our Twin...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on April 20, 2013 at 7:20am

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA's Kepler mission has discovered two new planetary systems that include three super-Earth-size planets in the "habitable zone," the range of distance from a star where the surface temperature of an orbiting planet might be suitable for liquid water.

 

The Kepler-62 system has five planets; 62b, 62c, 62d, 62e and 62f. The Kepler-69 system has two planets; 69b and 69c. Kepler-62e, 62f and 69c are the super-Earth-sized planets.

 

Two of the newly discovered planets orbit a star smaller and cooler than the sun. Kepler-62f is only 40 percent larger than Earth, making it the exoplanet closest to the size of our planet known in the habitable zone of another star. Kepler-62f is likely to have a rocky composition. Kepler-62e, orbits on the inner edge of the habitable zone and is roughly 60 percent larger than Earth.

 

The third planet, Kepler-69c, is 70 percent larger than the size of Earth, and orbits in the habitable zone of a star similar to our sun. Astronomers are uncertain about the composition of Kepler-69c, but its orbit of 242 days around a sun-like star resembles that of our neighboring planet Venus.

 

Scientists do not know whether life could exist on the newfound planets, but their discovery signals we are another step closer to finding a world similar to Earth around a star like our sun.

 

 

NASA: NASA's Kepler Discovers Its Smallest 'Habitable Zone' Planets to Date

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Earn Your Sci-Fi Degree and Sell More Books

Posted by Stafford Battle on April 20, 2013 at 2:30pm

I have to thank Coursera for forcing me to step outside of my literary comfort zone, and, explore the legacy of science fiction in Western literature.This has expanded my understanding of speculative fiction, and I believe this will make me a better writer. I suggest we all take advantage of Coursera (and perhaps create our own on-line courses).

I discovered the book  Little Brother by Cory Doctorow online at Coursera. This was a fantastic read even though it was Young Adult (YA) and Black people were not the central focus. It still  is a good book. Black people need to read it. The author offers a tale of San Francisco teenagers who battle a corrupt U.S. government that illegally has kidnapped and tortured American citizens after a terrorist bombing. I am reading the sequel, Homeland,  now. (Both books are available free on the Internet).

According to the website,  Coursera is a social entrepreneurship collective that partners with the top universities around the world to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free. They envision a future where the top universities are educating not only thousands of students, but millions. Talented professors teach tens or hundreds of thousands of students.

The Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, Our Modern World  started January 22, 2013, and ended on April 9, 2013 (another course begins soon). We read books and short stories.  I delved into the fantasy, fairy tale, and science fiction of many different authors from the 1800s to present day. There was a lot of discussion among people in different nations, who spoke different languages and had various cultural backgrounds.

The course required that students submit reviews of their readings as well as  analyze what other students had written. Each week, I reviewed five essays and received up to five reviews of what I had written. The rating scale was from 1 (the lowest ranking) to 3 (the most highly regarded). I never got a 6, but I receive many positive and helpful comments about my writing.

Our teacher was Eric S. Rabkin. Each week after we submitted our essays and reviews of our fellow students, Rabkin posted short video lectures about the works we had just read. Each video was a lesson about a specific aspect of our reading. This was enlightening and encouraging for anyone considering writing sci-fi for a living.

I had the pleasure of discovering the original Frankenstein, Dracula,  Invisible Man, John Carter of Mars and  others. I was immersed in great (and not so great) literature written by masters of the art. We were told that to be a good writer, you have to be a voracious reader. 

Also in the course, I was happy to see that speculative fiction is a global event. It involves many different aspects of what the future could be.  African, Asian, European and other ethnic/geographic writers have their own views of the future and how we all will play a role in it.  According to the New York Times, "Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) are often free, non-degree programs that have been drawing top professors. Some courses may attract nearly a 100,000 participants."

Your classmates could become your best customers.

Links to my essays and  peer reviewers from Coursera can be found at staffordbattle.com

The  course starts again in July. It is free and you may learn something that helps you to sell better books.

Peace out!

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Cypher Team i01 Reactivation Commence

Posted by Tyrone "Tyr" Jackson on April 20, 2013 at 9:00pm

I wanted to add another story. After this one I will add Enter Cypher Team i02 to continue with the little bit of SoveReign. I hope the stories are enjoyed. This is them before script mode and I hope it gives a bit of idea of the direction I am taking things. All constructive critiques are encouraged and accepted. Thanks BSFS Fam!

Cypher Team i01 ©2009-2015

Reactivation Commence!

“Kishu no arashi sutairu: Raitoninguurufu.” Static unleashed into the atmosphere as energy left her finger tips. The dry crackle of electricity caught the interest of zenith and humans in Reaper suits as they looked her way.

She stood ready, in a lowered stance as she held her wakizashi in her right hand with it placed snuggly to her back, the hilt at the small of it as the blade stretched up the middle. Her left hand, the firing hand, faced the group fingers outstretched as a ball of current formed itself into visibility. A howl, not that dissimilar from a wolf, echoed through the area.

“Korosu,” she spoke as the energy discharged heading to its destination, the electricity took the form of a wolf as it hit the ground running. Its electrical tendrils spread out touching the first wave as it ran through the middle of the masses, stunning those in its path. Combating zenith and humans in range felt the static as it caused the hairs on their bodies to stand and then, it sent a shock through their bodies causing their muscles to spasm as they shook uncontrollably. Those out of range that were untouched turned their attention towards the kunoichi, totally forgetting the fact that in the beginning they had been fighting one another.

Cautiously they tip-toed their approach towards her, which caused her to repeat the same words she had spoken before. Jagged lines of electricity, again, began to arc at her finger tips as another ball of current began to build up in the palm of her outstretched hand. “That wouldn’t be the smartest move, for any of you.”

“Lt. Reign!” The Madame's southern accent blasted through the sky as Sanjera suddenly became surrounded by the rest of her team. Col. Reign hit the ground his fist charged with a glowing aqua colored energy, his face sneered as he looked on to the mob that had now set their sights on his cousin who was more than ready for the challenge.

Alchemy and PyreBlade followed suit, Alchemy’s arms were changed over to two largely built and extremely sharp blades. Her husband had ignited his bastard sword, the blade glowing red and orange as flames licked out at the sky.

“I thought I said no casualties?” The Madame asked, hovering above the group as she looked down at Galisto.

“There are none Madame. That was just a stunning bolt. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t have been able to say the same for these fools,” she gestured to the oncoming group. 

“Well, you started it Lieutenant.” Alchemy spoke to Sanjera, pure distaste in her voice. It was obvious that Alchemy didn’t have any type of positive feelings for the girl. The reason for that was, she wanted to be the infiltrator but, Sanjera had beaten her for the position which stuck her as back-up. 

“Be as it may,” Sanjera calmly spoke, turning her attention to Alchemy, “Your’ LZ is clear.”

Alchemy smirked; she had no choice but to show some type of smile. The girl was right, her offensive attack did clear the LZ and that was what they needed. She turned her attention back to her husband dropping the half assed smile as she whispered to him, her British accent coming forth even stronger with her anger. “How the bloody hell was she able to do that, I thought she didn’t have any powers.”

Elias snickered a bit over hearing Alchemy ask PyreBlade something he couldn’t have possibly known the answer to. He answered for him, scaring Alchemy a bit since she had no idea he’d heard her. “You’re right, she doesn’t have powers but she has done something all humans are capable of. She has managed to gain control over her inner chi energy…there is no Zenith gene anywhere in her DNA. The techniques she uses are family traits, something she is only capable of, since she is the last one left.”

“Colonel, I apologize…I wasn’t trying to…I know she’s your cousin.”

“No worries Captain…just be glad she doesn’t care…because I’m sure she heard you.” He grinned.

“Let’s cut the chit-chat Lions. I was hoping to thwart this with words…but, it doesn’t look like that’s going to be an option.” The Madame spoke pointing to the mob as they gained more steps towards them. “All attentions on us now. If you don’t have to kill them, please don’t…Sanjera!”

“Roger that Madame…I’ll set my wakizashi to stun.” She joked, the rest of the group laughed with her gag. Even the Madame had to laugh, it wasn’t too often she said something funny.

“Smart ass.” The Madame cackled, “Get in your teams. Move out and remember to keep an eye out for the Angels of Anarchy, they would love to get into this.”

The team broke apart moving into the masses as the masses emerged their way. The Phenosapiens they were up against weren’t that strong and for the Team getting them to stop or stopping them forcefully would be easier than most would think. 

The Team is composed of five level 5 members. One zenith, Colonel Reign. Three who use magic as the source of their powers; Alchemy whose family was enchanted, Pyreblade who married into that family and The Madame who got her powers from a gem she found in the amazon on an excavation. Finally, there was Sanjera, the kunoichi. Who was just, good...damn good. They all were mastered in their gifts, and excelled in what they did. This Team was the leading team of the Black Lions, the “A” team if you will. If they were sent in, there was obviously more to worry about than the bout between the lowly leveled phenosapiens and P.O.M.

Which is why they watched while they fought, and why The Madame warned before they set off into their frenzy. The real worry was the group known as the Angels of Anarchy. A team that was once on the same side as T.E.M.P.L.E. They weren’t lions, but they were in the conglomerate, one of the first Zenith hero teams formed.

Unfortunately, they weren’t on the side of good anymore, well not the side that most would consider good. Their idea of what was right and what was wrong was now tainted. Blurred together in the design of rage. A rage that was set about some time ago when an Elementary school, filled with phenosapien and human children of workers in T.E.M.P.L.E, was blown up by the Protectors of Mankind.

That day, the Angels of Anarchy made a decision that they felt was right. To them the war between mankind and zenith would never end, it would only get worse. Zenith needed to be protected by someone who would go past the morality line, they needed angels, avengers. That day, the Angels of Anarchy became the avenging angels they felt their people needed.

If any, this was the perfect time for them to drop in. They had P.O.M and Zenith that they felt had sold out, all in one area.

The Madame grit her teeth as she looked down through the crowd, picking up a couple of people as she held them in place with her mind. She’d found a metal rod, long and strong enough to wrap around the small group and she did just that. 

“Bunt edges!” she yelled at Alchemy, causing the silver colored woman to role her eyes.

“Bunt edges...” she mumbled mockingly, displeased as she turned her blades into rods looking similar to extractable batons.

Sanjera continued, shocking and tasing those that she came across. Easily knocking them out as she continued her non-lethal approach. Elias followed suit but, instead of electrocuting he used is energy as a concussion grenade, disorienting those in range as he fired at the ground. 

“This is boring...fire’s not non-lethal.” Pyreblade growled, swinging on a human in a reaper suit with the flat side of his bastard sword, flames no longer ignited on it.

The reaper fell to one knee, his suit sparking as he looked up to Pyreblade. Pyreblade looked down at him his teeth gnashed as he told him to stay down. The reaper didn’t listen and instead got back up.

“Come on man!” he yelled as he watched the reaper come back to his feet.

Pyreblade shook his head as he let his free hand ignite with flames. There was only one way this guy was going to stay down and using the flat side of his sword wasn’t going to do it.

“You asked for it.” He spoke as he held his hand out to the reaper only to see him quickly fall back to his knees, two silver rods on each side of his neck.

“Bunt edges!” Alchemy yelled her accent flaring but flirty and with a wink she smiled at her husband.

Pyreblade pointed to his sword, “Bunt edges my ass. How about I just get back in the Manta?”

Alchemy laughed at him as she began to walk towards him, “Now what are you gonna do there love.” She turned one of the rods back into her hand as she placed it to his chest. 

She looked up at him and smiled, “You’re not gonna let me have all the fun, are you?” In the background the roar of a wild cat filled the air causing an uncomfortable feeling to creep up their spine. The two of them stopped talking and looked around. “What the hell was that?” PyreBlade asked as he looked back to his wife, only to hear the roar again. This time closer as the two of them were pushed off their feet and some yards back.

They both hit the ground and slid farther as the silhouette of a woman with a tail appeared where they were and quickly disappeared. The Madame had eyes on and was scanning the area as she saw the woman leap into the air just as fast as she had moved from the previous point. Her body was covered in spots that resembled the pattern of a cheetah. However, they changed over quickly, disappearing as the fur that coated her physique changed to a golden color, the tip of her tail gained a bit of hair as she began to look more similar to a female lion than the cheetah she was.

“Feline!” The Madame gasped. “Get out of there, now!” she yelled to Pyreblade and Alchemy as the cat like zenith appeared, her fist driving into the ground as she dropped in where the two were laying. The force of the punch caused the ground to crater open sending asphalt flying through the air.

“Sanjera, go back up those two!” The Madame directed.

“On it!” She responded, disappearing with lightning speed as she headed towards the corporate The Madame had called, Feline.

The Madame looked at Sanjera and quickly lost track of her as she sped off and then she cast her attention to Elias. “How the hell did she do that, didn’t you say she didn’t have pheno genes.”

Elias laughed, “That I did. I’ll check her DNA again.”

In the distance a rush of wind sounded through the air causing The Madame to look over in its direction. The gust came from the side where the majority of P.O.M were, the area where Sanjera dropped in. She watched as Reapers made their way to another woman who was slowing walking towards them.

The woman walked calmly as she approached. White leather wrapped her body, the tails of her trench coat danced behind her. Her stride was model like as The General watched. The woman stopped as the reapers continued their pursuit and slowly she began to take a deep breath.

The men closer to her began to drop like flies as cars in their area and other objects began to crumble and crush like tin cans. Windows in the buildings around the woman began to shatter as she continued to breath in, causing the structures to slowly fragment in on themselves as bricks chipped away. She was sucking the air particles out of everything. As The Madame watched, her expression changed to worry.

“Breather.” She whispered.

“Who?!” Elias asked, hearing the name she spoke but astonished that, that name was even spoken.

“Everyone!” The Maddam yelled, speaking to humans and zenith alike. “Get out of the area, NOW!”

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