Instant Story

Flash fiction fresh from my fingers to your mind!

Challenge #00046: Daring Rescue

Edward Kelly moments after meeting Magneto for the first time.

{Bamf!}

Edward Kelly swallowed his last meal back down and tried to think of anything but the taste of bile and stomach acid.

“Welcome to the three D’s of teleportation, Principal Kelly,” said a blurred figure that was somehow all shades of aqua. “Dizzyness, disorientation and debilitating nausea.” The figure held something under his nose.

The scent of citrus assaulted him, but at least it made the bile go down.

He blinked away tears. “He said… Destiny told him… I’d destroy his people.”

The figure helping him was androgynous and pretty much aqua from head to foot. Her hair was a boring brown with a tendency to go off in its own directions. It was the eyes and the accent that tipped him off. “Sara Louise Adrien?”

“Now he remembers my name…” she muttered. 

“When did you turn green?”

“I like to think of myself as a little bit blue-ish, but that’s not important right now. The Destiny that man -his name’s Magneto, by the by- that man was talking about? She’s a person. Another mutant like him. And us. Destiny is a precognitive mutant. Me? I blend into the scenery.” While she was talking, she hustled him gently towards the fire escape. He couldn’t help noticing that the arm she used to guide him was matching his tweed coat.

She noticed and smiled. “Yeah, that happens when I’m distracted. I’m working on it.”

“You’re all mutants?”

“Yes. Based on fighting fire with fire. Magneto and his henchpeople believe that ordinary humans such as yourself should be eliminated in order to achieve true mutant freedom. The opposite number - us - are rather fond of ordinary humans and would rather not see them go.”

“But… you’re green.”

“And Nightcrawler looks like a demon, but he’s an absolute sweetie regardless of looks.” She helped him down the stairs. As fast as he could go. Her frantic body-speak told him she could go faster.

“You’re green…”

“Do you have an objection to people of color?”

Edward sputtered and blushed. “How are you… your normal colour in the daytime?”

“Rude question number five. Good choice,” Sara chirped. Something big knocked a hole in the stairs. “Oh dear.”

“Can you jump that far?”

“Yes, and I can do it carrying you.”

“Carrying me?”

“You’ll be over my shoulder. It’s the only way.”

“I’m not good with heights.”

“I’m worse,” said Sara. “But I’d rather be bad at heights on the ground, wouldn’t you?”

He swallowed, and nodded. She took him up into a fireman’s carry and measured her running space with her feet.

“Scared?” she trembled.

“Spitless.”

“Do what I do,” she said. “Close your eyes.” And then she leaped.

It was only when she landed that he found out she wasn’t joking.

Challenge #00045:

The first press conference of newly elected state senator, Scott Summers, in which he tries to explain how someone who sees only red can govern those with full vision. Hard questions are asked by both reporters and Duncan Matthews, himself the newly elected leader of the FOH and sporting IRA styled terrorist backup.

“How can you claim to have a far-reaching vision when all you can see is red?”

Gah. Dumb question #3. Again. State Senator Scott Summers kept his

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Challenge #00044: Trial of Error

End with this sentence: “Failure had become the only way he knew he had actually tried.”

Rael could not believe in his makers. He had, after all, witnessed them sleeping in the labs, relieving themselves, and skimming the news over morning stimulants and breakfast.

It was hard to worship anything when you’d seen them with food dribbling down their chin.

It was even harder to believe in anything when they were testing and training you at the same

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Challenge #00043: Time is Money

Time currency and exchange rate issues.

The clerk looked up from the pile of gold coins. “What are these?”

“Quatloos,” said Emris. “My savings. For this holiday.”

“Ah.” The clerk began typing. He was rather handsome for a lizard. With an impressive crest jammed under his ridiculous hat. “I have fifteen planet systems with variations on the Quatloo… Where are you from?”

“Greater Deregulation.”

“Ah.” This time,

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Challenge #00042: Life's Great Mystery

Scott wins a bet with Logan and he divulges wisdom from the mount, including and especially how to get the better of Duncan with his mind and not his fists or powers, with Todd offering to help as an olive branch of peace.

“Told you I could do it.” Scott panted. “Pay up. Enlighten me.”

Logan made a lazy gesture indicating an otherwise neglected bench in Xavier’s extensive gardens. He was never much for talking, even

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Challenge #00040: The Shocking Truth.

An outsider to everything talks about seeing something they shouldn’t, fully knowing the ramifications of their seeing will impact the entire world they live in.

Shayde knew she was on time. She checked the chrono four times after she heard Rael’s voice in the negotiations room. He was, apparently, talking in some variety of Bird. One of the languages that gave her ‘universal translator’ ability trouble. Something about beaks…

This was one of those negotiation

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Challenge #00039: The Doctor is in

Anywhere in the story: “It never ceased to amaze him how little the world seemed to care about those it had little use for.” Also include a banana.

London was overgrown. Those bits that were left were barely holding together. And still, someone took the time to write on walls.

It was a warning. Red was a difficult colour for paint in this kind of arena, but someone had still taken the time to make a bright red paint. And

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Challenge #0038: Where Art Thou, Daughter?

Before Josie’s mom goes to Kraplaquistan, recount the last conversation she had with Jason and how little she really knows how awful he is, even as it reeks and ferments before her very eyes due to her obsession to bring Josie back to her point of view.

Porche  greeted Jason with a warm hug and a kiss on each cheek. “Daar-ling! How have you been? I’ve been dying to see you since Tullagawupwup…”

Jason smiled

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Challenge #00037: Whither Shall I Wander

Include anywhere in the story this line: “Anywhere was home, unless the place included her.”

Josie was a wanderer. Anywhere was home, unless the place included her.

She did not use her name. It was always she, her or, in extreme situations, that woman. Just a glimpse of her, just the thought that she might be there, that she might have followed her across oceans, continents, rivers, towns or down the endless roads… had Josie packing her bags and

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Challenge #00036: Wanted hair problems

I think I submitted this before, I might be mistaken.  Anyway…

Kurt and Beast, a malfunctioning electric razor/pet-groomer, and the amusing/embarassing results of the latter encountered by the former two.

[Yeah, you did as anon, and since you’re so insistent, I guess this is today’s instant story]

Shaving was a problem for the naturally hirsute. The trimming products usually designed for people did not take into account things like, say, embarrassing bald patches. And trimer

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Challenge #00035: Not My Fault!

Jean discovers a reason why Duncan should be dumped and Todd shows her why Scott might be a better choice, all while they hang upside down from a tree. By accident.

“It'snotmyfault, IsweartoGod, pleasedon'tkillme!”

Jean was still getting her bearings. A tough thing to do when gravity wanted all her blood to settle into her head because the ground was directly above it.

She let open her ‘walls’ a crack to scan for any other intelligent life besides&

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Challenge #00034:

End a story with this line: “She only knew it was going to be messy, however it ended.”

Karin had a problem with clean. Firstly, it never made sense; because the first thing that happened to clean was that someone pretty much instantly made it ‘un’ in short order. Secondly, she could never really do it. Her attempts at clean always ended badly.

And Mom loved clean. Loved it beyond all reason.

And today was Mother’s

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Challenge #00033: Baby Monster

Graydon Creed and Mr. Kian get into an argument about mutants in school, power, decency and misogyny, which also demonstrates to Kian how much of a terror Graydon could be when he’s older.

“Now, I understand you used a slur in a public arena, mmkay?”

“Mutie is not a slur. It’s what they are.”

“Mmkay. That word you just used, the new M word? Mmkay, that’s a slur, mmkay… It&

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Challenge #00032: Julie and Nanny

Write more on the augmented dog and the woman who was paired with it. Specifically, I’d love to know why the woman needed the dog and how the dog was groomed for her in the first place.

Rael arrived at their residence at the same time as their Cogniscent Rights caseworker.

“You’re here for—?” prompted a Melil whose name tag declared zir to be Officer Raak.

“Broken crockery printer,” said Rael. “Julie

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