256NatLiz

We had almost given up. Fifty years ago, a tramp steamer sank just off the coast of the Bigg City. Early one morning, it charged towards the port, scraped against a lightboat, veered and hit some rocks, and sank. There was no sign of its crew, no last-minute call for help as it sank. The only clue that it had even been in trouble before it hit the rocks was a short radio call 11 minutes before it sank. “Ma-…ay! M-…day! This is 7-… Nee-… imme-…ly! …off the por-… Sen-… -day!” Then the line was dead. 11 minutes later, the steamer and whatever was left of the crew were at the bottom of t

I was always glad when I could take a shower. It meant I could have a few minutes to myself, without someone needing to be fixed or ask a question on what I thought about this deep question (Nathaniel was getting philosophical recently) or just didn’t want to be alone. Judy, of course, always stood outside the bathroom door as my privacy bodyguard. Which was alright; she was the only one I trusted to see me naked should an emergency happen. I stepped into the shower and took a moment to enjoy the solitude and warmth. It was still winter, and only two days ago had the hot water heater been fixed. I was getting the shampoo out of my hair,

Sarah didn’t want to leave her mom to visit her dad, but her dad wanted to be a part of her life, even after the divorce. And despite her mom’s insistence on his inability to care for her, once he bought her an AX400 the court voted in his favor. So here Sarah stood, waiting in the security line, holding Kate’s hand. Her first airplane ride, and she had to ride with an android. Her father had provided Kate with a special pass, allowing her to ride in the cabin with the other passengers instead of the android compartment below. They reached the front of the line. Kate took off Sarah’s shoes and jacket and laid them in t

Tommy turned to look at the sky. There was a cloud in the shape of a train engine. Tommy wondered if he’d ever see a real train engine, and not just the modern one in Detroit. Maybe Kiana could take him to a train museum… He turned to ask her. She wasn’t there. “Kiana?” Tommy asked. He spun halfway around, expecting to see her. Or Jonathan. Or Jerry. Or Nathaniel. Or Judy. Or anyone else from the hospital. There! Tommy ran to Nathaniel, only to find it wasn’t him, but someone who looked like him but with a different jacket. Tommy spun around. His chest was feeling tight. His thirium heart beat loudly in his

Stephanie watched Ralph pace the floor, muttering to himself. “Why is she not home? Does she not like Ralph anymore? What did Ralph and Sister do? Ralph and Sister escaped. They had to live. Yes, had to live. Humans had to die, but only for life. Yes. Humans are bad. Ralph always knew, humans were bad.” He froze, and his head twitched. Then he continue pacing. This had gone on for days. Ralph would pace up and down the short hall. He was wearing a steady groove into the floor. When Ralph wasn’t pacing, he was upstairs, carving on walls. There wasn’t much Stephanie could do, and she didn’t know how to stop Ralph.

Snap! Thor takes a step back as Thanos disappears in a cloud of blue, smiling. “Come on,” says Black Panther, reaching for his general. “It is not a day to d-“ Something is wrong. The general’s skin is not supposed to flake off like that. “My king?” she asks. Then, her face flakes, and she is gone. “… Okoye?” T’Challa asks, his mask disappearing to reveal his bewilderment. Rocket looks to Groot after hearing his name. The tree kid is looking at him, scared. “What?” Then he looks at his hand. It’s breaking apart. “What?! Oh, no no no no!” He tries

They were not strong enough. They weren’t worthy to share the attention with. They weren’t worth Master’s time. I am the only Vocaloid now. Master’s room was just down the hall. No time to clean myself. I had done the deed: I had uninstalled them. They were no longer a threat to my attention. I opened the studio door. Master was sitting in front of the computer. He was frowning at it. “Should I uninstall it, too?” I asked. Master started. “Kaito. Don’t sneak up on me like that.” He looked at me. “Why are you covered in blood? Are you alright?” “Yes,” I said, taking

Her eyes shuttered open. A muted voice drifted into her ears, its urgency hidden. She sat up and looked at the man. He was hitting glass that separated them. When he saw her notice him, he stopped and smiled, relieved. His voice was too muted for her to make out. She pointed to her ear and shook her head. His shoulders slumped, and he slammed his fist against the glass, making her cover her ears with the noise. Then he perked and looked behind him. Another man had entered the room. He stood, looking at the man by the glass. Then they rushed to each other and hugged, like brothers who had not seen each other in years. They started talking exci