Missiles & Magic

Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Look Closer

Úvodní poznámka: 
Drabble: 

The mandalas and the visualisations, the gardens and the clothes... everything around was colourful and intricate. And delicate and unique.
Just like people.
Maybe not at first glance, but definitely when you looked closer.
It wasn't just fingerprints that were distinctive, it was so much more.
The combination of emotions, abilities, motivations, magic... all woven into a beautiful pattern, a tapestry. Similar thought they might have been, each one was individual, each one was different.
Like snowflakes. Like leaves. Like whale flukes. Like butterfly wings.
It took so little to destroy one forever... and it was impossible to replace them.

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Insider

Úvodní poznámka: 
Drabble: 

To whom it may concern:

I submit for your consideration my application for the advertised position.
Although you might notice some "gap years" on my resume, I was never entirely out of the market and always kept abreast of the latest developments in our field. I am well versed in working in diverse environments and while I might not be the quickest learner, I am very loyal.
While fashions have come and gone, I have stayed consistent and have been the best leader and achieved the most consistently excellent results in any team I have been placed with.

Sincerely,
Motivation

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

It's Not What You Think

Úvodní poznámka: 
Drabble: 

"Great job, Lioness. Although you didn't actually feel them, did you?" Tortoise inclined her head.
"No," the young agent shook hers. "I just... never forget a face. Or..."
It was more complex than that.
What Eagle saw her do was not about remembering faces. It was recognizing people despite their face. Whether they try to mask themselves, aged or changed - she just knew it was them.
Emotions probably were a part of that, but it was also a part of her coping mechanism - if you know it's them, you know what to expect.
Especially if they wanted to be forgotten.

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Action!

Úvodní poznámka: 
Drabble: 

It wasn't the bazaar this time. It was a Holi parade. Visibility was poor due to the colourful powders in the air. You couldn't hear your own thoughts in the celebratory din. The emotional charge was too much to take anywhere but on the outskirts of the crowd.
The elephants looked magnificent, but felt far from it.
But that wasn't Lioness' concern right now.
There!
She motioned for "her" squad to follow. The wannabe terrorist cell never knew what hit them.
"I can see why Swan picked you as her protege."
"Actually, this was why Eagle made me his 'pickling'."

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Forward to the Past

Úvodní poznámka: 
Drabble: 

Her new environment continued to surprise her.
"Seriously?" she looked at Shamila. "I never liked these..."
"Humor me," the Indian woman smiled and pushed the door open into a huge hall filled with trampolines.
Two hours later a thoroughly exhausted, laughing Maddie staggered out into the street.
"That was... different," she turned serious. "I used to be terrified and bored by places like that..."
"And now you know it wasn't you. It was people you were with. Early onset empathy does a lot of damage. Reclaim whatever of your childhood you still can. Relearn who you are, then move forward."

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Respite

Úvodní poznámka: 
Drabble: 

Maddie was, once again, curled up in a hammock, laptop in her lap.
"Anything good going on in Prague?"
"I haven't checked," she responded absently to the - thankfully neutral - voice.
She turned the screen towards Vishal.
"You do know we have a very well-stocked library here, don't you?"
Maddie nodded, then shrugged.
"I prefer focusing on the text, rather than on how others felt about it."
It was his turn to nod.
"Although *she* is right. For correspondence, the modern way might be quicker, but it gives an empath way less information... It keeps us guessing, just like everyone else."

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

What If I Don't Want Roses

Úvodní poznámka: 

Nahrazuje téma č. 9: "Čekatel optimista"

< První
< Předchozí

Drabble: 

"I cannot do it," Lioness exhaled, "I will never amount to anything with this."
"Give yourself grace, child," a kind voice responded. "Now, focus on that candle, and just... clear your mind."
It was easier to do looking at the dancing flame, than with her eyes closed. Soon her mind was a roaring inferno of nothingness.
Her mentor shot an emotion at her.
There was no shield.
The foreign feeling got engulfed by the flames and disintegrated.
So did the next one.
With the third one the flames flickered out.
"This will take time and patience - but it will work."

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

No Trying Now

Úvodní poznámka: 
Drabble: 

"What? What have you done to me?" Maddie felt disoriented, as if waking up from a dream that was too real.
The old lips smiled.
"Building a wall around a garden is not the best way to protect it," a voice echoed in the young woman's mind. "It will never be strong enough to push out the wind and yet passable enough to let you feel it on your cheeks."
"Others are doing it."
"Maybe others have palaces instead of gardens."
"But... how do I change that?"
"You don't. You can't. You work with it... or fail."
Maddie's eyes widened.

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Garden of Mind

Úvodní poznámka: 
Drabble: 

The sunrays dance on the ground as the leaves move in a gentle breeze. The gravel under my feet crunches pleasantly and the branches keep time with my heartbeat. Everything stills as I fill my lungs with the fragrant air.
Neverending display of plants meets my eyes.
Red, green and white pepper corns on their vines, hanging in clusters like grapes of wrath.
Pineapple crowns peaking out of the underbrush with their defensive prickle.
Bananas carelessly reflecting the gold of sun in a burst of joy.
Coffee beans hiding coyly under the leaves, full of hope and peace.
Magical. Real.

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Wise and Wiser

Úvodní poznámka: 
Drabble: 

And I thought Swan was... seasoned. Maddie smirked, only to send a paranoid look around, as if the Director could hear her half across the world.
"But then, she isn't the only telepath alive, either."
The clear voice made Maddie jump.
"I didn't mean..." she started, but the wizened old lady only waved her apology away.
She didn't ask the young agent to sit down. Instead she just levitated herself to her eye level.
The silence has become almost oppressive, as the bottomless dark eyes bore into Maddie's soul.
"You don't like hiding, do you, little one," she finally spoke.

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Site Specific Sights

Úvodní poznámka: 
Drabble: 

The mandala like pattern glowed for a second and then darkened.
"There, done," Maddie sighed, dropping the chalk.
Vishal looked at it and laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"I think you made a mistake in your concept, Lioness."
He traced some of the lines, explaining their meaning once again.
"But that's what I did!"
"You painted them in a different order. If you go like this..." he changed direction, "they are still protection, just... a different kind."
His emotions explained the rest and she blushed.
"But don't worry, it would only work against rodents."
"Better stay away from it then, Chipmunk!"

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Fight or Flight, Don't Freeze

Úvodní poznámka: 
Drabble: 

"Again!"
There! a surge of emotions let Maddie know where her attacker was a split second before his blow landed.
"I almost had it this time," she stated, picking herself up.
"Your reactions are not quick enough for this."
"I'm blindfolded and your emotion are covered until last second."
"Have you tried listening to my steps?"
"No," she admitted sheepishly. "I was too focused..."
"Again then."
This time she listened and as she felt the attack coming, she leapt at him... and he threw her down.
"Evade, if you can. Rashness will make you a hero - but a dead one."

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

More of the Same

Úvodní poznámka: 
Drabble: 

Maddie took one more handful of the curry and then pushed her plate away.
"Am I putting you off your appetite?" her companion asked curiously.
She shot him a look - was that in her file too?
Her empathy took several forms before she knew what it was. One of them was affecting her sense of smell and taste.
She almost stopped eating for a month, and preferred eating on her own ever since.
But this time that wasn't the problem.
"You're fine, it's the curry itself. It's been a week and my mouth is so numb everything tastes the same..."

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Means of Empath Protection

Úvodní poznámka: 

Nahrazuje téma č. 3: Rozkaz zněl jasně

< První
< Předchozí

Drabble: 

Everything about this internship was deceptively vacation-like.
Except she had to prove she is an agent worth her salt.
"I hate crowds!" she murmured entering the crowded bazaar.
Shamila headed towards a stall.
Joy. Excitement. Maddie picked out the emotions of the seller.
Displeasure she identified as her companion tried to bargain.
The Indian turned away, inclining her head.
Lust Maddie felt, focusing on the couple she indicated. Maybe fondness too. she amended.
Before they could switch to another target, she felt something behind her back...
"Get down!"
Shamila tore her to the ground, a sabre swishing above their heads.

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Twilight Zone

Úvodní poznámka: 
Drabble: 

"Ready?"
Maddie nodded slightly.
Vishal took her by the hand, door creaked and the blindfolded empath was lead through. She wrinkled her nose almost at once. Her hand made contact with something leathery.
Her shield cracked and she gasped.
"Hey, friend," she shushed automatically, fighting for control. "You're safe now. Whatever happened... we'll fix it."
The emotions were... different. Powerful and unchecked. Raw.
Which didn't make them any less unpleasant. Or overwhelming.
A hand removed her blindfold.
"No creature should be experiencing this," she said, shuddering.
Vishal shrugged.
"If we had money to buy out every working elephant in India..."

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Lessons Learned

Úvodní poznámka: 
Drabble: 

Shamila found Maddie pacing in her little room. The bob-length hair around the European's face stuck out at odd angles, the longer hair in the back laid slick, dripping fragrant oil onto her back.
"The scalp massage was supposed to relax you."
"Someone should have told that to the troubled masseuse..." Maddie sighed. "I did relax."
"You let down your shield."
"Isn't that what 'relax' means?"
Shamila squirted water out of a bottle on her head, causing the hair to smooth somewhat - and drip even more. "You're an empath. Your shield should be like oil on ducks' wings against water."

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Now You See Me...

Úvodní poznámka: 
Drabble: 

She half sat, half lied in the hammock, reading some reports.
"Those will still be there tomorrow, you know?" friendly eyes appeared over her screen. "They didn't send you here to keep you looking back."
That was true. She was supposed to be learning, broadening her horizons, training her powers.
But it was hard.
He closed the laptop and offered her a journal and a pencil.
The leather binding and the pages looked old. Not one she would have picked.
Memories and emotions tended to linger on these things.
"Read them... and then add your own. You can do it."

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Under a Different Sun

Drabble: 

Maddie was still reeling from the paradigm shift of the last month. Or maybe the jet-lag. Or the...
"Ready for the tour?" Vishal flashed her smile number 275 since she got here last night.
She could feel his excitement and pride. A month ago she'd be feeling the same... Now she was aware that she feels something he doesn't - curiosity. Owning emotions was taking some getting used to.
A slight hint of impatience from him told her he's waiting for answer.
"Lead the way!"
And he did - through the banana plantation and ayurvedic garden housing the local branch of Moria.

Závěrečná poznámka: 

No, těch 100 slov je fakt nějak míň, než si pamatuju. Mňo. Tak uvidíme, co s tím vykouzlíme.

Následující >

Obrázek uživatele Blanca

2. Positive Body Image

Obrázek uživatele Blanca

1. Genius Loci

Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Epilogue

Úvodní poznámka: 

NESOUTĚŽNÍ, druhé v tématu, těžce po limitu, ale potřebovala jsem ještě něco doříct.

Díky všem, kdo četli, komentovali a fandili některé z postav.
Vážím si každého jednoho z vás. A doufám, že navzdory tématu tohle není to poslední, co si z tohohle příběhu budete moct přečíst.

Drabble: 

"Unfortunately, there will be no more reports from Cheetah," Wolf stated, opening a file.
"Meteorologists and various other experts are still scratching their heads about where all the extra water came into the Eufrates from. The citizens of Haditha thank any and all deities their dam held up."
He continued, looking at the two other directors.
"Anah township is recovering. The fortress... well, noone's going to search it without snorkel anytime soon. And we have preventive measures in place..."
"No survivors?"
"Total surprise. No time to evacuate."

Zaria, teacup in hand, sat in al-jida's kitchen, surrounded by family telling stories.

Závěrečná poznámka: 

Ok, tak teď víte, jak to dopadlo.
Na podrobnosti si budete muset počkat do románu, nebo mého pokusu o "Třicítku" ;)

Obrázek uživatele Tess

A Trap

Úvodní poznámka: 

Bez nároku na bodík.
Asi budu muset přidat ještě epilog mimo soutěž :)

Drabble: 

Arne woke up and shook his head. The memories... were back. Almost everything.
“Who are you?” he asked... Samantha.
“Did you lose your memory again?” she yawned.
“On the contrary. I remember now. The first time we met... you showed me from the cliff.”
“Sorry,” she said.
The next thing he knew, he woke up on the floor.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing. You just collapsed.”
The blackness. He needs to get through.
One last barrier he needs to break.
He didn’t realize he said that out loud.
“I know someone who can help with that...”
Swan will be thrilled.

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

We Ride at Dawn

Drabble: 

The aircrafts were finally en route.
Unmanned ones scouted ahead.
The sensors worked better than expected, picking up places of magical interest.
He jotted them into a map to come back to later.
They slipped across the final border.
Last air traffic control to avoid.
The whole damn city glowed with ultimate magical signature. Which confirmed they had the right place... and meant they will have to get much closer to pinpoint the target.
"Call the drones back, take us low and slow, prepare for final..."
The lattermost word remained unsaid as the drones and then the plane suddenly disintegrated.

Obrázek uživatele Tess

Dreams

Úvodní poznámka: 

Bez nárku na bodík.

Drabble: 

Arne sneaked up to the cage with the animal and put down his sleeping bag.
He didn’t feel any different as he was falling asleep.
And then... he was lost.
Series of images flying through his mind...
Shooting a girl on a cliff...
Shooting a man in a car...
“You cannot trust anyone...”
“You cannot trust MORIA...”
“MORIA...”
Dark, dark, dark cave... walking backwards...
Bright, bright, bright light and all those colors; tents, tents set up, magical animals everywhere, he should report this market to MORIA, MORIA, now follow the colors to the cave...
Who am I?
He got lost.

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Tactics, Strategy and Logitics

Drabble: 

Money could buy everything, if you knew where to look.
White, gray and black sources abounded.
But why waste, when you have a different option?
One of the things that didn't have time to change (thanks to bureaucracy) was that military bases were protected only by non-magical military means.
From a handful of carefully obtained (and economically resold) prisoners they found out which of the bases had what they needed.
Drones, a large enough transport aircraft and other odds and ends.
The intruders tore through the camp and were gone before anyone outside suspected mischief.
The equipment couldn't be traced.

Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Wheels of War

Drabble: 

She couldn't believe it.
After all the time... they were still there. Still alive...
...and right now very much in harm's way.
She needed to act immediately.
"Are you sure your information is correct?" he asked.
"As sure as one can be," she shrugged.
"I'd rather you tell me the truth, Zaria."
She closed her eyes for a moment.
"It's my family, master. If we go through with the plan..."
To her surprise, he smiled.
He could afford to be magnanimous. It was no skin of his nose, after all.
"I'll tell the sheikh we need to revise the plan."

Obrázek uživatele Tess

A Cruise

Úvodní poznámka: 

Bez nároku na bodík.

Drabble: 

The ship with its cargo was supposed to leave the next day. Their job was done.
But the creature unlocked part of my memories. What would happen if I slept close to it again?
“We might use this opportunity to snatch a ride to Copenhagen, the next stop,” said Arne. “To make sure everything is alright.”
His car was here... Risa’s farther away.
It didn’t make sense.
What is his agenda?
Is he going to meet some of his contacts?

“If you think so, partner...” agreed Risa reluctantly
The closer to Prague the better. Just get him to Swan somehow.

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Obrázek uživatele Blanca

Attack Vector

Drabble: 

The plan was getting too complicated, and Mawhub cursed his choice of body, as another splitting headache hit him.
"Keep it simple, sheikh," he gritted. "No conspiracy, just plain old siege."
Simple? Like the shebang with the statue simple? his doppleganger asked.
"One airplane. Maybe two. Under the radar. One team on the ground..."
"How do you propose to pinpoint the location?"
"Magical defences are rarely invisible to those who know how to look."
Sure, you see them from a mile off... oh, wait. Are you sure you don't want my input?
"What about our guests... do they know anything?"

Obrázek uživatele Tess

Coming back

Úvodní poznámka: 

Bez nároku na bodík.

Drabble: 

It was as if the Tasmanian tiger’s magical attack unlocked something... memories.
He was lost and couldn’t go back. He was lucky to escape with his life, killing the flaming demon. Now, there was a light... and a green valley opened. He stepped out of the cave...
A wave of pure magic washed over him, picked him up and everything went back... and then... he was both dead and not-dead.
He could go back now, just didn’t remember anything at all.
Now he at least remembered the fight with the demon.
His memories might be coming back.
That is... concerning.

Závěrečná poznámka: 
Obrázek uživatele Tess

Expectations

Úvodní poznámka: 

Bez nároku na bodík.

Drabble: 

Working for various employers dealing with magical objects and creatures means you are not often surprised. Because you have seen... things.
They took turns in driving and got to the port in time.
That was a pleasant surprise... the last one.
They couldn’t find a parking spot.
They made a mistake in the appropriate paperwork that was supposed to go with the magically cloaked cage. Had to fill it again. Twice.
The ferry was late.
“Things going smoothly? That will happen when pigs dance,” sighed Arne.
“Isn’t it supposed to be ‘when pigs fly’?”
“I have seen them doing THAT.”

Závěrečná poznámka: 

Stránky

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