Europa Escape Final PT. 4 - SciFi Short Story

in #science5 years ago

This story is the conclusion of Part 1 located at:
https://steemit.com/science/@stellarlibrarian/europa-escape-pt-1-scifi-short-story
And part 2 located at:
https://steemit.com/science/@stellarlibrarian/europa-escape-pt-2-scifi-short-story
and finally part 3:
https://steemit.com/science/@stellarlibrarian/europa-escape-pt-3-scifi-short-story
This post marks the end of this story, so don't miss out on the beginning.
The end will be here when you finish.

Europa Escape - Part 4 - The Conclusion


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"Remember that there is a 32 minute lag time before Earth will receive any transmissions. If you prioritize it, I may be able to activate Satellite Experience's Portal for more instantaneous connections. Unfortunately, it will not be in proper position for another 10 hours." Sampson continues as Alex walks through the hangar doors. "I have just identified a log from Captain Simmons. It appears it was meant to be released when the hanger was accessed."

Alex swears silently upon sight of the pressure sealed room. The pod they used for the mission yesterday is gone while the three single person water bikes are submerged in their own pressure chambers. Normally when all vehicles are not in use, the rooms are dry and pressurized with atmosphere, but currently, all the rooms are open and filled with water. He manually went into the computer and told it to fill those rooms. The three water bikes used for single person transports are currently float on the ceiling, next to the internal computer chips which drift freely around.

"This is Captain Simmons of the RF-Europa. My crew have defied orders and have left me to find further data for this mission on my own. Yesterday, Alex Forrest discovered a nest of fish-like creatures that displayed animalistic intelligence and protective skills. I have gone ahead and disabled all but the Ice Breaker Sub, which will remain under heavy encryption until I have returned safely with a sample of the mother fish creature. I have high hopes for the success of this mission, and I intend to see it through to the end. Jason Simmons, out."

Alex's blood feels like it's going to start boiling. "This man is about to go and harm the native sea creatures!" she shouts, "Computer, can you unlock the Ice Breaker Sub?"

"Processing... Processing... Advanced Encryption Standard 3.2 detected under the name Captain Jason Simmons. AES 2.0 is a symmetric encryption algorithm that I cannot attempt to decrypt without official permissions from either Captain Jason Simmons or persons of the United Nations with rank greater than or equal to Rear Admiral Lower Half. Any unauthorized attempts that are not affiliated with the safety of the crew to access the vehicle without proper permissions will result in permanent lockout."

Alex pulls on her tangled hair and looks up. "Damn it, Sampson! Don't you see that he is doing the wrong thing!" she cries into the air.

"I beg your pardon, Alex, but resolving moral dilemmas are out of my processing abilities. Due to that inability, I am forced to resort to basic protocols."

"Where is this ice pod? I want to see it."

"Its location is on the fourth-floor launch bay. You may either interface to the computer with your mask or make your way to the nearest console to see a map."

"I think I can find the fourth floor!" she shouts as she starts climbing the ladders. "Damn ladders, why don't we have elevators?"

"Elevators were not chosen to be a part the RF-Europe due to safety concerns in relation to..."

"That was a rhetorical question, Sampson." The second floor goes by, then the third, then... The entire facility shifts around Alex, making her almost lose her grip, but the rubberized grips help her pull herself against the ladder.

"What in blazes is that?!" Martha cries from down below.

Both Alex and Martha look down through the glass floor to see rock sand flying up from the crevasses below.

"A shift in the ground below us has made Claw 2 lose its grip with the rocks. That is one of the three chains holding the facility to the ground." Sampson reports. Through the glass, they observe the giant chain pulling taught to tug on the anchor. A moment later, they see the massive claw rising fast back up to its origin in the hull. Alex feels her heart skip.

"I recommend you go get your suit on, Martha, just in case," Alex suggests, starting to climb again.

Martha nods in agreement and gets off at the second floor, while Alex continues to ascend.

"What happens with the anchor releases? What happens if another one lets go?" She asks hurriedly, continuing to climb the last few ladder rungs.

"The claws will be pulled back into the anchor cannon, then be shot into the ground at a calculated secure point for reconnection. If another one were to release, it would do the same thing."

Once she reaches the fourth floor, she grabs the mask from off her back and secures it around her face. Her HUD loads up its icons faster than the standard version. Her HUD displays her custom layout of information over the improved holographic interface. "Oh, how I missed you," Alex whispers as she looks around. The mask illuminates the contours of the hallway, labeling the rooms with their appointed names. Ahead is the secondary crew quarters, while to the left is lab equipment and storage, and right is the upper launch bay. "Perfect!" She skips forward to the giant metal airlock doors that don't open automatically. "Damn it!" She goes to the panel to the right of it and enters her code.

"Access Denied."

"Access Denied?" She shouts back, "I am a member of this facility!" The ground beneath her shifts as the facility rocks. "Sampson, What is going on?" A camera shot of the chain and claw re-deploying from the anchor launcher appears.

"That shift was the result of Claw 2's redeployment."

Alex watches as the claw deflects off of a towering spire below.

"Shot missed, recoiling."

The facility shifts as the chain and claw start to get pulled up again. On the upper left side of her HUD, under Alex's vital signs, she notices an icon appear under Jason's suit information; it appears Martha has gone online and is now in the Lab. Jason's vitals are looking higher than normal.

"Show me Jason Simmon's feed," Alex orders Sampson.

"Yes, my lady."

A screen pops up over Alex's HUD while she holds onto a nearby rail—just in case. He appears to be inside of the pod, which is stuck in the mouth of the cave. 13 or 14 large, tooth-baring fish are bumping up aggressively against the front glass. Behind them, a blinding yellow light backlights the dark bodies. The light suddenly blackens as the pod lurches and the ground shifts. Jason's vision blurs as he is thrown around inside of the jerking pod. It seems to Alex that the giant creature is collapsing the cave around itself and the pod. Automatic emergency procedures initiate, igniting multiple high-yield thrusters downward. The upward thrust of the pod manages to push away the debris from the pod's hull, allowing it to break into open waters. High-pitched screeching follows the wreckage, but then suddenly cuts out as the rest of the rocks displaced by the pod land into place.

The ground around Alex shakes violently. Is this shaking related? Did this creature cause the earthquake?

The facility shoots another claw a moment later. This time it grabs a large stone in a massive fissure. As it pulls in, the rock catches on the walls around it and holds. The facility pulls itself down, equalizing the weight between all 3 connections.

"Looks like Martha got her dead fish," Jason grunts into the radio.

The pod stops thrusting and pulls back, angling down to see the pile of jutting stones that used to be the cave. They hear Jason's sigh of relief over the speakers.

The rocks shift. A yellow glow reflects from the shifting rocks until a large orb pops out. It radiates as bright as the sun through the black waters, reaching even as far as the facility's windows. More rocks move aside, exposing the enormous black body of the creature. The beast thrashes, throwing some of the rocks far away, even with the resistance of the water. Finally, it pushes up, breaking free from the rocks. Eyes as empty and dark as a black hole look out to the pod. It opens its cavernous mouth and screeches a high-pitched cry.

Bubbles floating up from the wreckage stop rising. The sonic vibrations are so concentrated that the air contained within the bubbles begins to shrink. Little blue-violet lights begin to illuminate from each of them. The water around the creature sparkles with a hundred tiny stars.

Jason tries to cover his ears. Glass cracks all around him. The suit prevents him from blocking any sound. His face mask cracks once, then again. He slams on the thrusters and turns the ship around. The screeching cuts off, the little lights fade, and bubbles continue to rise.

The back of the pod cracks as the creature captures the ejectors in its massive fangs. Jason screams as he is thrashed forward into the pod's windshield while the creature rapidly starts shaking. Seatbelts exist for a reason. Alex curses to herself for the thought. His vitals fluctuate rapidly. The front end of the pod tears away. It flies forward with Jason inside before sinking fast into the dark depths below. The mini nuclear generator in the pod's engine breaks; a large mass of bubbles rises from the creature's mouth as the uranium heats the water around it. Like bad food, the creature spits it out, the uranium ore dropping from its mouth like a lead sinker. The creature swims forward, chasing after the remaining pod like a cat to a mouse. Lights blink all over the console.

"Warning, main power offline. Systems unresponsive. Suggest immediate ejection." Jason screams, panic seeming to have set in.

"No! Leave me alone, damn it!" The camera feed follows him as he climbs out of the open end of the pod. He starts swimming away as fast as he can, nothing but the black open water ahead. He looks back to see the creature, mouth gaping wide, spear its tooth through the front hull of the ship. Bending metal creaks through the water. Jason gasps and pants with each stroke. He glances around again to see the creature turn to him. A ball of bend metal spits out through the creature's giant maw. A loud hiss breaks through the creature. Jason screams. It charges. The large yellow orb flies past the camera, blinding it as it tries to adjust to the light. Blackness fills the screen.

...Connection Lost...

...Attempting to reestablish...

...

...Failed...

Alex feels empty, reading the message over and over, one more time. Quietly, Martha joins her and sits by her side. The soft humming of the rebreather system vibrates her mask as she takes deep breaths, in and out.

"What now?" Alex asks, turning to Martha.

"Unknown Entity approaching," Sampson says before Martha can reply. "Radar is picking up the object coming in at 56 kph and closing. Estimated impact in 3 seconds. Prepare for impa—" The entire facility jolts as the collision of the creature shoves everything aside; the lights flicker and a dull thud resounds somewhere on a lower deck. "Danger, atmosphere loss on 2nd deck west side, all personnel get to the nearest safety station... Claw number one detached." The entire facility shifts as its buoyancy equalizes on the other two connections. "Safety procedure 'Containment' commencing."

Alex looks around to see all major door systems sealing. Large metal plates rise in front of the glass doors, blocking the storage and bunkers throughout the facility. She glances up to the glass ceiling above. Long metal plates begin to move in from the reinforced hull to encase it. While it's closing, a yellow orb shifts into view behind the glass, followed by a dark shadow in its wake.

Alex's mask takes a moment to adjust, but when it does, the black eyes seem like they're staring right at her. The fish jumps forward, darting straight at them. The bulkhead seals.

"Warning, Impa—" The metal bulkhead is shoved inwards, the once spherical metal distorted into a massive concaved dent. Pressure from outside squeezes water through the weakened cracks. Drips of water run down the sides and center of the bent plates, falling passed them. "Warning, Central Chamber pressure is rising, all personnel suit up immediately. Prepare for universal depressurization in t minus 10 seconds."

Alex holds onto Martha tightly while they both squeeze the railings behind them. The thin metal is close enough to hold but doesn't appear to be too useful if they fell to the floor. The large gap in between the handholds and supports are so far apart that it wouldn't stop them from falling off the balcony if they slipped. Even with the reduced gravity, three stories would still hurt. They glance over to the massive metal door containing the Ice Breaker sub—that may be their only chance of escape. If they can reach it, the door's locking mechanisms are secure enough to hold for safety. Holding Martha's hand, she gets up and starts running to the door. Martha reluctantly moves away from the railing, holding both Alex's hand and the metal bar. When Alex is about to reach the door, Martha finally lets go to see her grab the bar.

"Hurry, grab the grate on the door," Alex shouts. "The railing won't hol—"

The floor shifts from under her. The walls to the right bolt at her. A crack and crunch sounds from the extra bunk area, followed by the loud rushing of air escaping. Water crashing into the bulkhead doors followed. Alex slams into the wall, then bounces back. The facility shifts again, throwing Alex backward once more. She cries out as her weight shifts too much, and her body hits the ground rolling, tumbling back on the rocking floor before hitting the thin rail. The impact slows her, but the momentum of the rocking faculty pushes her aside and in between the bars, then over the edge.

"Oh no, no no!" Martha leans over the railing and grabs Alex's suit. She groans over the radio. Alex jerks to a halt. "Damn, you're light," she grunts, pulling her up and under the railing.

Alex hits the ground and lies flat for a moment, dazed, but then reality comes crashing back. She rolls onto her stomach and jumps for the door. She grabs it, then holds for dear life as the facility jolts upward this time, shoving them both to the floor.

"Warning, claw number one detached. Attempting reconnection procedures..." As the facility starts floating over the last remaining claw-anchor. Alex can't help but squeeze the sturdy metal harder just as the first detached claw fires for a new anchoring. "Claw attached, repositioning facility." Everything slowly starts to center again, at least the best that it can with two connections.

Martha lets go of the railing to jump over to Alex, who reaches out for Martha as she somehow glides in the air for a moment.

"Warni—" Lights all over the station flicker and then go out, plummeting everything into darkness. Martha vanishes into blackness.

Alex lets go of the door and jumps forward, feeling for Martha. The facility throws itself back, the railing slams into Alex's gut and knocks the wind out of her. The sound of water rushing into the room washes out everything. Red emergency lights turn on, blinking on and off. Alex coughs as she tries to breathe. She hiccups and coughs once, twice, three times, then finally pulls in a real breath. Her hands splash down onto a soaking wet floor.

"Warning, main power is offline, backing up all major system memory to independent computer systems: Ice Breaker Submarine 2-3-4-2-1, access lock lifted. Breach detected in central chamber, secondary sealing systems initiated... Success. Emergency drainage pumps offline; attempting back up power... Success, draining."

Alex runs over to the dented railing and looks around, but Martha is nowhere to be seen. The water level appears to have reached the second-floor. Red lights around the facility go dark, then return to show that the water level has lowered. The room blacks out again; Alex clicks on her flashlight and looks around. She spots a reflection, a suit. Martha! She is down on the third level landing.

Alex glances over to the vitals information on her display to see Connection Lost written just under Jason's name. Her heart drops for a moment of remembrance just before she forces herself to the next collection of stats - Martha's. They are erratic with a high heart rate and low blood pressure. Her brain is also putting out odd signals. All Alex can really feel is relief though, she's alive. She hurriedly runs to the ladder, finding herself stumbling over her first few footsteps. Damn body, she needs me. She scrambles for the thin ladder rungs to start climbing down. Without warning, the facility jerks.

"Warning, claw one offline. Power failure, cannot retract."

"Fudge!" Alex exclaims, hopping down to the third deck.

The facility waivers as she starts to walk, rocking her around like a boat on the ocean in the middle of a storm. It doesn't help that water drips down her HUD constantly, making the details blur into incoherent shapes. She wipes her mask to clear it off the best she can. Everything around her swerves as the facility equalizes over the final connection. Finally, her flashlight shines upon Martha's motionless body. Alex gets on top of her, shaking her shoulders. "Wake up, Martha, wake up, damn it!" She tears up, seeing Martha's relaxed face illuminated by her mask's icons. "I need you!" Alex shouts over the radio. She slowly stops shaking, and sobs lightly, "Please..."

Everything around her jumps once again, throwing Martha and Alex closer to the open center chamber. Alex stands up, grabbing the center railing for balance while the facility rocks back and forth. Holding Martha's arm, she starts tugging her to the ladder. A bag hanging off Marth's tool belt clinks to the floor, but she barely moves an inch. Alex shifts slightly and then looks around; she needs less surface area. There is too much friction between Martha and the floor. If only I could had wheels, or oil... Thinking fast, she wonders how the suit can help. "Sampson," Alex manages through her sniffles. "Deploy all of Martha's rear fins; setting stiff."

"Sorry, my lady, but you cannot control another person's suit."

"Sampson, she is unconscious and I'm trying to save her life! Please help me!"

A long silence stretches.

"Procedures state... due to the nature of the situation, an exception will be made."

Martha's legs, arms, and back are pushed up when the water fins of her suit punch out. Alex tries again, and like skis on snow, Martha finally slides a few feet over the floor.

"Ugh! Yes! There is hope for you, Sampson." She tugs and pulls moving her two feet at a time. Martha's arms begin to twitch as she starts to come around.

"W-what's happening?" Martha manages. She gags for a moment, and a cough splatters red from her spit. "Oh no, my cheek," she complains. Tentatively, she feels for her face, but the helmet is in the way, then she tries to use her other hand, but Alex is holding it.

"We need to get to the ship!" Alex exclaims. "Before the facility loses its final connection!"

Martha looks around, then down at her legs. "Fins?"

"No time!" Alex calls out. She jumps onto the ladder, climbing as fast as she can.

Martha comes up under her, and together they clamber up to the fourth floor. Alex runs to the door, and hurries to the console beside it. Red letters reading "No Power" flash on and off. Alex looks around, then spots a power junction in the ceiling. "Martha, give me a lift."

Martha hurriedly approaches to grab Alex by the waist. Wobbling slightly, Martha manages to lift her up high enough that she can turn the latch and open the seal. Hundreds of wire connections and ports flash with dimmed LED lights.

Alex thinks fast, tracing the wires to their ports, which are labeled accordingly. The backup fiber optic cable runs into the LED emergency lights on the floor, along with door backup seals. These are already secured, so Alex pulls the backup power cable out first. The red lights flicker to black as she pulls the cable out. Water drips from the ceiling, flickering a spark when it hits one of the ports.

Martha rocks to the side as the facility take another hit. Alex spins into the open door and grabs it, helping Martha keep her balance.

"Almost there!" Alex says pulling around her tool bag. She reaches in for her electronic container and pulls out a wire cutter and stripper. She cuts the wire ports off then connects the backup wires together for extra power. She pulls the cut wires from the ports, places the new wires into the empty slots, then pulls the plug for the main power into the door operations. Shoving the backup in, a dull humming is heard from the door mechanics. "Bam!" she exclaims. The facility jolts her into the open door, dazing her for a moment. "Down!" She says to Martha, who drops her, then hugs her to slow her down before hitting the ground. They both rock as the facility tries to find its equilibrium. Then they turn and run to the door.

Martha punches in the code, and the door slides open. Grates move aside to make space. The floor jumps up as the RF-Europa ascends slightly. Upon seeing this, Alex's heart drops. "The last connection is going!"

A metallic clank rings through the chamber's walls. Then, in an instant, everything suddenly starts rising. Momentum pulls them both to the floor.

"W-warning," the speakers crackle, "remaining claw compromised."

Alex tries to resist, but her whole body feels like it's turned into a lead weight. She drops to her knees. The metal around them cries under the new intense pressure of motion as they rise faster than a bubble.

"O-open... doors..." Alex manages.

"Sorry, my lady, but power to all primary systems are offline. I am no longer connected with this facility."

"Blast," she grunts, looking up to the Ice Breaker straight ahead.

In front of it, the drill hangs heavily in the air, its cylindrical body behind it, made for heavy pressures. Martha's flashlight flickers on. The floor rotates as the facility slowly turns, pulling everything over to the wall.

"I-if we go all the way around," Alex says over the radio, "w-we will go out the door w-we came in... Must deploy from sphere," she states bluntly.

"According to my calculations, impact against the ice's inner surface will be made in 1 minute 45 seconds. We are approximately 125 kilometers from the ice."

Alex feels her weight shifting from the floor to the wall opposite the sub.

"Open... sub door," Martha manages as she army crawls to the entrance of the stairs. She grabs the railing before her body starts to rise off the floor, which is now tilting to become a wall. Martha grunts loudly as she lifts herself against the momentum to slam the sub door's control. Air pressure and metal bursts as the door swings open with momentum induced force.

Alex loses her grip and slips backwards to the wall. Tools and supplies cluttering the room fall with her, slamming into what is now the floor. Alex squeaks as a metal wrench falls straight down to her face. She tightens into a ball, making it narrowly miss by a few inches. "S-so heavy..." she grunts turning around onto her hands and knees before staggering to her feet.

Martha pulls herself to the sub door, grabbing the open sub door and pulling herself in. As fast as she can manage, she navigates into the rear equipment container and grabs some rope.

"45 seconds remaining."

The wall is becoming the ceiling now, Alex shifting her weight to accommodate the new architecture. The sub is completely upside down, its door swinging.

Martha takes the bundle of rope and, while holding one end, throws the rest. The rope drops like a rock, unwinding as it tumbles down the remaining ceiling decline.

Alex grabs it, then wraps it around her hands the best she can. Martha then pulls her up, tugging her close enough to grab the door. Once Alex has a hold, Martha crawls to the upside down pilot's seat. She shifts herself around, so her legs are above her head, and then does a hand stand to grab the seat between her legs. It isn't long before her arms start shaking with fatigue, but her legs secure her. She lets go of the ceiling, and straps herself into the safety harness.

The ceiling begins shifting to the other wall, Alex's weight getting pulled into the sub. Using this momentum, she manages to slip inside, then presses the proper buttons to secure the door. The hydraulic latches get to work, closing and sealing the sub's interior.

"Buckle up, buttercup, this is going to get bumpy!" Martha shouts to Alex, who's getting into her own upside down chair.

Martha powers on the sub, the LED ceiling lights lighting up blindingly. Martha shuts them off a moment later with the data link display.

"13 seconds. Emergency unlocks engaged, hydraulic safety overrides engaged; prepare for immediate ejection."

"Go, now!" Martha shouts to the computer.

The sub's engine vibrates to life, followed by a loud mechanical clunk of the door releases. Water envelopes the cabin instantly, tearing the sub out of the facility and into open water. Light- glorious heavenly light- eases in the windows from the Sun behind the ice.

They look out the windows to see the facility slam into the ice layer, then crush under the force. A part of the facility explodes under the impact, sending orange and yellow light strobing through the cabin. In an instant, it is gone, leaving nothing but a mangled metal skeleton sinking fast into the depths below.

The sub starts sinking before the airbags inflate on the outside of the hull. Slowly, they start to rise to the ice layer. Martha turns the ship nose first, and then initiates the drill to start drilling. They accelerate by the sub's spinning nose, but then stop with a crunch when contact is made with the ice. The diamond-plated drill breaks a chip off, then drills that hole wider and wider. It doesn't take long before the sub is throwing debris behind it, and then it is in the ice all the way, leaving a hole of black ocean in their wake.

Alex unbuckles her seatbelt and, holding the central railing, adjusts herself to lean against the rear equipment cabinet. After all that excitement and adrenaline, the rumbling of the engine slowly lulls Alex into a deep dreamless sleep.

"Hey, Alex, wake up," Martha says calmly over the radio.

Alex comes to quickly, grabbing her seat's armrests and screaming.

"Shhh, shh, Alex, it's okay. We are safe." Martha looks back sadly, dark bags under her eyes. "You're so precious, Alex. Don't you ever forget that."

Alex turns to look out at the crammed ice that had been displaced by the sub. The ice is also significantly lighter than before. Alex straightens her back, and then looks towards Martha.

"If I could have had a child, you would have been perfect," Martha says contentedly.

"A connection link has been established with the UNS-Stander; uploading general data and backup database," Sampson One reports.

"Good job, Sampson One, thank you for your help," Alex whispers with a sigh.

"It is my job, and my pleasure to keep you safe, Alex," he replies back, as British as ever.

"Mayday, Mayday, this is Alex and Martha of the former RF-Europa Facility on Jupiter's moon Europa, does anyone copy?"

"Mayday? Oh no, this can't be any good," an older man says over the radio.

"Old man, Azure. Boy is it good to hear your voice."

There's a final clunk as chunks of ice break away from the drill. The sub seems to jump up into the open space as it leaves the hole behind.

Alex feels herself start to float with the weightlessness of no gravity. She looks out, seeing a vast white and red horizon running off in every direction. She gasps as she sees the massive orange, white, and red stripes of Jupiter circling above her. Half of it starts to fade into darkness, where the sun cannot reach, but the transition area is long and vast with colors. On the other side of the sub, the sun shines brightly in at her, welcoming her with warmth and light. The sub jerks higher as ice crystals spew out of the hole they made, dispersing in every direction around them. As they spread out, the crystals shine into a rainbow that circles the sun.

They jerk again as the sub's ion thrusts go online, and they start heading out into orbit around Jupiter.

"You are due to intercept with the UNS-Stander in seven hours. Take it easy out there, alright?" Azure says over the radio, without a hint of disappointment. "The data I'm getting is amazing. Were you able to keep any collected samples?"

Martha turns to Alex, who is frowning, but then Martha spins back around in her seat to show the small tool bag full of small cylinders. She holds one up to display a little circling speck of light. Alex tears up.

"Yes! Oh yes we do have samples!" she exclaims, reaching forward to grab it and hold it close. "It's alright, little guy, you're safe with us." It seems to dance around in the cylinder, making Alex giggle through tears.

"I am receiving bits of the data now, and damn, you guys got a lot of it. May I speak with Captain Simmons?" he asks with a tinge of concern.

Alex and Martha look at each other with saddened expressions.

"Unfortunately, he did not make it." Martha says, leaving it at that. They all share an extended moment of silence.

"That's a shame," Azure crackles in a few moments later. "On the bright side, you two are safe. Now take it easy and prepare to come home."

Alex and Martha smile at one another, then gaze out the window to view Jupiter up close and personal.

"It's best to enjoy it while you can," Martha whispers.

"Don't worry, I will."

The End

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2018 By Dean Sheldon

All rights reserved. No part of this post (and all related posts) may be reproduced in any form on by an electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.