The Old Firm: A Steampunk Tale IX

     Master M sighed as he shut his eyes, the his and bubble of his equipment was faint against the steady drone of the airships engines.  His fingers trembled as he reached up and massaged his eyelids the bone weariness of the elixir fading rapidly, its effectiveness diminishing with each use.

     As he sat there resting, a console on the curvature began to blink, it's light begging for attention, tinkling louder and louder.

    "Blast it," muttered Master M as he gingerly rose and slowly shuffled over to the console his shaky fingers stabbing it into life.

     "Quite the show you put on today," the thick Highland burr poured out of the speakers mingling with the electronic hiss of the wireless.

     "I assured you and your confederates General that I take all my jobs seriously." Master M. kept his voice neutral.

     "Indeed, we have been most impressed."

 

     "Have you been able to acquire my "little request?"

     The General's brows furrowed. "We have been having some...difficulty, the only source at the moment is in Britannia, as you know, relationships are even more strained right now."

     "I don't want excuses! Get me the radiumarium and get it now or I will cease all operations!"

     "You don't understand......" began the General only to have Master M cut him short. 

     "No more delay's! I need that material or all your little plans will fail and you know  that means?" Master M grinned his skin stretching across his skull.

     "Now you listen here! We have kept our bargain!"

     "Silence!" Master M's voice rang in the chamber. "I am not some servant you may bully, I am a master! And I will not be denied! He glared at the General. "Our lans are best served by you supplying the radiumarium General. Or do I need to remind you that Holyrood would be most interested in seeing the footage I have."

     "You claimed it was destroyed!" cried the General is voice squeaky and high  pitched through the wireless' speakers.

    "A slip of the tongue dear general," Master M grinned.  "I will arrive in Aberdeen in six hours, I expect my needs to be met when I arrive." The screen went black and the audio cut out with a loud pop as Master M turned and shuffled back to his plain cot.

To Be Continued.........

Rethinking Disney

I don't remember Disneyland looking like this!  Sign me up!

The Truth about Barney

Barney

1) Start with the given: 
CUTE PURPLE DINOSAUR 

2) Change all U's to V's (which is proper latin anyway): 
CVTE PVRPLE DINOSAVR 

3) Extract all Roman Numerals: 
C V V L D I V 

4) Convert into Arabic values: 
100 5 5 50 500 1 5 

5) Add all the numbers: 
666 

Thus, Barney is Satan.

Carla Gugino Watchmen Pin Up art

  This is flat out plain yummy.

Election season is here

Gotta love the republican party.

The Old Firm: A Steampunk Tale

VIII

     Rebecca stirred her hair about her face her fingers delicately touching the bump upon the back of her head. She winced at the pain and carefully raised her head to look about. The room was dark, barely lit, electric lamps fizzing in their stands. Dark shapes were tossed about the floor. Rebecca peered closer, squinting in the dim light. 

     "John? Stefania? Maureen?" Rebecca's voice was soft and low, her every word making her head twinge.

     "A low groan emitted from the floor. Stefania stirred and began to rise only to collapse. Rebecca scrambled to her side and placed a hand beneath her head. 

     "Are you hurt bad?" Rebecca whispered cradling Stefania's head in her lap.

    

     "Ughhhh, my head it hurts," Stefania reached back to touch her head. 'Damn!" she exclaimed as her ribs spasmed. "I feel like i got ran over." Her voice was thick with pain.

     "A large shape loomed over Rebecca and Stefania, Rebecca flinching and letting out a gasp.

      "John?"

      "Aye, are we all here?"

      "Stefania and I are awake, not a peep out of Maureen." Rebecca tried to keep her voice steady.

       John grunted s he knelt by Maureen his hands moving about her. "She's breathing but still out." He rose once more his body creaking and popping. "Damn I took a tumble."

      "We all did, "Rebecca said. 

      "John went to the hatch barely illuminated in the sulfurous glow of the electric lamps and tried the wheel. His muscles strained but it did not move. "Blast!" he stepped away and began to move about the small cabin his hands roaming over seals and rivet's. 

     "Do not bother trying to escape," a cold sharp voice crackling with feedback echoed in the cabin. "You are my guests for now." Rebecca looked wildly about trying to locate the source of the electronic voice.

     John stood still listening his fists balled tight.

    

     "It's been a long time Master M," John said his voice firm. "Fancy support system you have here," John rapped the metal walls of the cabin. "A bit overkill don't you think?"

     A dark hard laugh cackled over the speaker followed by a harsh short cough and a click as the transmission was cut.

     John sighed and sat down next to Maureen.

     "What now?" Rebecca asked shifting to see John better.

   

     "I'm thinking," John looked over at Maureen and sighed again.

      To Be Continued............

Renegade: A Dune Tale

Stefania sat still between Angus and her mother. The Guild people about her made her nervous, they had a strangeness to them that made her skin crawl. One Guild representative in particular kept gazing upon her, his eyes barely blinking, his gaze never wavering. Stefania squirmed in her seat pressing against Angus who looked up at the Guild representative who met Angus' cold hard stare without wavering. Lady Tavdi glanced at Angus and Stefania and went back to her needlework.

"He scares me," Stefania said for all in the compartment to hear.

"Too much time in space has addled his brain is all," Angus replied. "All that time spent among machines and metal has taken away much of his humanity."

Stefania's eyes went wide and she leaned forward staring at the Guild representative with the intensity only one of her age could muster.

"He looks funny," she said letting out a slight girlish giggle and his a smile behind her hand.

"Stop that child, it's unbecoming of a lady of your postion ot behave like such a commoner," Lady Tavdi rebuked Stefania without looking up from her needle work.

"Sorry mother," Stefania smoothed her skirt and looked at the Guild representative. "I'm sorry for making fun of you."

The representative barely nodded his head in acknowledgement and turned his attention to something small in his lap. Stefania squirmed wanting to see what it was but kept silent.

Baron Tavdi listened without emotion as one by one the comm units in his command center went dead as the Imperial Sardakaur systematically over ran his house's meager forces. His aides remained silent as their death approached unabated.

"Is our surprise ready?" The Baron asked softly. A short nod of acknowledgement. "When they reach the Spice stores, overload the lasgun,"Baron Tavdi ordered in a firm voice.

All present knew of the Lasgun and shield set as a trap in place of the family atomics which had been spirited away with the the Baron's family. The Great Convention would matter little already dead.

"They approach my Baron," an aide said softly.

"Do it," he ordered.

The comm unit crackled as orders were given and acknowledged while those present waited for the explosion.

"My Baron! Something's wrong!"

Baron Tavdi sighed. "It was always a possibility, the Sardakaur had infiltrated my house troops." Baron Tavdi gripped his short sword. "Prepare for our last stand," he growled.

To Be Continued.....

Now that is a thing of beauty