New Cover Art Concept for Chaos Feed

Without You - Chapter 26: Signature

Are you insane?

They’ll come for her

Destroy your pathetic little playground

Before giving her away

Ignatius snaps

Relax Ignatius

Her secret is safe

In the shadows

Of the underverse

Creeley replies

Take her invitation

Work it into your own flesh

If you so choose

That’s not how it works

Her biological signature

Is encoded in the seal

If it’s no use to you

Don’t bid on it

All I offer

Is a chance for a better life

Use it

As you see fit

Creeley shrugs

To be any value

One would have to match

Her genetic makeup

Undergo convergence

And biochemical augmentation

Ignatius squawks

Oh the sacrifices

One has to make

For salvation

Wressen chuckles

A fine whore

You would make

Ignatius

Do it for your country

Take one for the team

Only a fool

Would consider

Such a ludicrous proposition

That is not the true value

Of what she has to offer

Even if one

Passes the biometrics

It is only the first

In a battery of tests

Sooner or later

Your deception

Will be uncovered

And you’ll be worse off

Than out here

I am reminded

Of the sacrifices

Our ancestors made

When coming to this land

Indentured servants

Many of them

Never seeing their debt clear

Dying a slave

In a free land

Unless you’re her biological twin

Or can assume her identity

With minor alterations

Then it cannot be used directly

What you have

Is a tool

To infiltrate their walls

And show us past

Their defenses

Tell me

By chance

Is she serviceable?

The golden passes

Were given to humans

Not clones

Synthetics

Or the like

They were meant

For The Chosen

Only

Creeley replies

Damn

It would have been

Exquisite

If she was

It’s not every day

You come across

A golden pass

Still

We can make her so

Wressen grins

I’m all in

I know

You’re not just going

To give her to me

I’ll double your highest offer

Come on now

I’ll be offended

If you don’t make a run at her

The remaining seven

Shake their heads

Kick chairs

Punch holes in walls

None have a shot

And they know it

Not even

If they pooled

Their resources together

Not fair

Says Roach

Another unwashed face

In dire need of a bath

Life’s not fair

Are you in need of the lesson?

Says Wressen

Why settle for a ticket

When you can have

Valtryst herself

Pledge your allegiance

To me now

And I’ll find

A way inside

For each of us

Otherwise

Rot in this hellhole

Until you are no different

Than the scavengers

Scattering through it

Do I hear another bid?

1.1 million?

Creeley looks around anxiously

Ignatius raises his hand and nods

2.5 million

Wressen counters

Anyone else?

3 million

Dr. Phil winces at his own words

A red light flashes

Invalid bid

Insufficient funds

An automated voice

Scolds him

2.5 million credits

Going once

Twice

A bead of sweat

Runs down Creeley’s cheek

Oh

What a delightful specimen

A D-24.8

If I’m not mistaken

Gyruss raises his head to the ceiling

I’ve serviced those before

In fact

I repaired

This very one

Shut him up!

Wressen finally loses his cool

Shoot him

Creeley

I will not let him spoil

This fine moment

Besides

He’s just more rubbish

For the scrapheap

As Creeley repositions the gun

A silver sphere

With 10-inch spikes

And twin Gatling guns

Materializes from the darkness

Three red dots

Converge on his forehead

He freezes

Caught out of position

Not enough time

To reroute the guns

And raise his shields

The winning bid

Goes to Wressen Wight

Creeley utters

Have mercy on us

Father

Without You - Chapter 25: Insignia

Unlike Gyruss

These wicked warriors

Have screws loose

In all the right places

Creeley hisses

Fogging the lens

Of the camera

Tabitha Hayne

Step forward

A woman in light body armor

And a mirrored visor

Enters the spotlight

The murky breath

Around her

Dissipating

Leaving behind

A ghostly aura

A killer body

If I ever saw one

Captured and recycled

By yours truly

Trust me

It wasn’t easy

A lot of spunk

In this one

She’s a Russian model

One of many

In the DC area

Her cell

Was supposed to go live

Three months after The Departure

Of course

The Republic beat her to it

I’ve archived the details

Of her mission

In case you’re interested

Her instruction set’s limited

She’s meant to slit your throat

Not bake a cake

Unlike our other crony over there

Creeley glared at Gyruss

Ryan

On the other hand

Was born and bred in the U.S.A.

Yet another defunct Black Ops project

Incorporating synthetics

Into the battlefield

He’s a skilled field medic

But don’t let his charming looks fool you

He’ll pull out your fingers

With a pair of pliers

While playing

A relaxing game of chess

The spotlight moved over to a third man

Broad and grizzled

Not an ounce of fat

On his massive frame

Looks like this one

Eats glass for breakfast

Wressen chuckles

Pure brute strength

That’s what 90,000 credits buys you

Says Creeley

No idea

What language he speaks

Some gibberish

I’ve never heard before

The only thing

I’ve been able to decipher

Is his name

Alef

Creeley

You really do

Surprise me

Invest some time

In a little product knowledge

For a change

Will you

Wressen scolds him

Remember the headlines

A few years back

About an unmanned settlement on Mars

Perhaps that part of your cranium

Was removed too

The colony is still there

Not skeletons yet

But soon shall be

The last traces of life

On that rusty rock

Long since departed

You can’t understand

What he’s saying

Because his words are encrypted

Only members

Of his elite team

Can decipher them

I don’t know

How you snared him

But there could be

A treasure trove of intel

If we unravel the code

Hear that K-mart shoppers?

A treasure trove

Creeley beams

If we can break the code

Wressen reiterates

Even so

All this

Could be academic

Most autonomous systems

Still in operation

Are located in Valtryst

You’ll need at least one

To pilot a ship to Mars

In addition

The Republic

Moved their manufacturing

To the moon’s surface

The vital pieces we need

Just a world away

Could be gold mine

With the right guide

And a means to get there

I suspect you intercepted

The Chief of Security

For the Mars mission

Not bad

Next time

Aim a little higher

Up the food chain

Are you a buyer or seller Mr. Wight?

Ignatius asks

Cause if you’re a buyer

Like the rest of us

Then shut the fuck up

So we can get out of here

Not until I know more about her

Wressen points at me

I’ve had my eye on this one all evening

Why are you holding back Creeley?

Are you saving her for yourself?

Ha!

I almost forgot

Thanks for reminding me

Last but not least

The lovely Leiland

An ovular craft

Floats down from above

Lights flashing

Like an amusement park ride

A series of tubes and cables

Snaking out Creeley’s back

A metal brace

Holding him in place

With stumps for an arm and two legs

He sits atop a silver throne

Flipping switches

And redirecting

A giant hydraulic arm

He plucks me from the wall

And sets me

In the center of the stage

The gathering of eight eyeing me

With curious intent

What’s so special about her?

Wressen asks

Nothing

Creeley grins

Everything

If you are trying to peddle

Another one of your escorts

You should have done so

In the previous phase

Wressen ran his fingers

Through his ivory hair

What the hell

Why not?

Let’s see what she’s got

Remove her clothes

Leiland

Remove your clothes

Creeley parrots

You first

The words spill out of me

Without a stutter

Sassy

And refreshing

Wressen swallows a mouthful of Merlot

He removes his shades

And gazes at me

With his icy blue eyes

Another gift

From an unwilling donor

Put a muzzle on her

Creeley

And strip her bare!

Tabitha?

Says Creeley

The assassin lunges forward

And knocks me to the ground

Riding me like a bull

As she tears off my shirt

And exposes my back

Abruptly she stops

And recoils

Is that what I think it is?

Wressen stares at the monitor

Gold and silver markings

Tattooed on my shoulder

It’s the first time

I’ve seen it myself

The mark of The Republic

He utters

One million credits

Without You - Chapter 24: Gyruss

We’re on fire!

Hopefully

You have something left in your coffers

Because things are about to get

A whole lot more interesting

Not to mention

Expensive

It’s time

For my hot picks

Creeley’s voice booms

A woman and two men

Walk onstage

Each step

Silky smooth

Too perfect

To be human

Synthetic soldiers

Discovered in a secret stash

Or discarded by The Republic

A fourth follows

With a strange twitch

Stumbling

As if drunk

Every bushel

Has its rotten core

Nonetheless

I urge you

Take advantage

Of my ignorance

Surely he can be fixed

For the bargain-basement price

Of 50,000 credits

50,000 credits?

What are you trying to pull here?

He can barely walk

Wressen balks

I’ll bet 1,000 credits

He can’t say a word

Even a fool’s wager

I’ll gladly accept

Creeley grins

The truth is

It’s difficult

To shut him up

Isn’t that true Gyruss?

Say a word or two

For the crowd

What to say

What to say

The pale droid scratches his head

I am a GSR-8 autonomous system

Series 4

Patches 11.2 and 13.1

Green star

Environmentally sound

I have been self-aware

27 months

13 days

And 19 minutes

Though my internal records show

I’ve been active for five years

Do not panic

I am not a refab

My internal banks

Most likely compromised

Due to the events

Of October 19th

As you can see

I am in prime condition

At least five decades remaining

Of loyal and efficient service

Furthermore

The android twitches

Furthermore

I am government-certified

And field-ready

To repair drones

Tanks

Convoys

Even medical crafts

Shuttles

And bridges

I also have experience

Installing and maintaining weapons silos

Including the one

You are in right now

My internal repository

Contains over 10,000 schematics

Residential homes

Military bases

Prisons

Outposts

Just to name a few

If given the proper resources

I can build these for you

In a timely and efficient manner

On a personal note

My favorite color is teal

I enjoy attending operas

And live performances

I am also a certified Karaoke singer

My favorite musical instrument is the drum

I will entertain you

Enthrall your guests

And help you achieve

An optimal lifestyle

Throughout your tenders years

Furthermore-

All right Gyruss

That’s enough

Creeley groans

I can aid in reprocessing

Biodegradable waste

Solid

Liquid

Or gas

To power your entire home

And shield you

From high levels

Of radiation

Shut up Gyruss!

Creeley snaps

And furthermore-

The female droid

In yellow and black body armor

Steps forward

And kicks him in the head

Gyruss is knocked back

But does not fall

Pausing to consider

The raven-haired assassin

I believe he has a mute button

Hopefully that isn’t broken too

Wressen sneers

Mute thyself

Now and forever

Creeley moans

Though his lips

Are still moving

Not a peep

Comes from Gyruss’ mouth

I’ll give you 40,000 for him

Says Wressen

And furthermore

Gyruss’ bumbling words

Are audible again

35,000

Dang it

Wressen

Why do I always

Have to repeat the rules

Just for you

You can’t retract or modify

An existing bid

You may be my biggest client

But don’t test me

Creeley grumbles

A particle gun

Lowers from the ceiling

And points at the observation deck

Very well

40,000

And another ten percent

For my ignorance

Any other bids?

Good

Creeley shows off

The rotten array of calcium

Protruding from his gums

Now let’s move on

To something truly ballistic

Without You - Chapter 23: Showcase

It’s a buyer’s market

Everything’s on sale

Prices slashed

It’s do or die

The deal of a lifetime

The gathering of eight

Sips champagne

Their heinous scowls

Plastered over the giant screen

None

Have all their skin

And each

Has at least

One synthetic body part

Chances are

The radiation

Has something to do with it

Chewing through their phony entrails

Faster than before

Still much to learn

From this human shell

And if we’re not careful

There won’t be enough of us left

To matter

They laugh among themselves

Amused at the pitiful offering

Before them

Flashing their influence

While they still can

The strong relying on the weak

To offer them comfort

Make them feel larger

Than they actually are

Before burrowing

Back into their holes

Like maggots in the earth

Technology pulled them through

A detail long forgotten

None of them pondering

What will happen

When the resources

Are expended

Without innovation

Materials

Manufacturing

We will be back

To the stone ages

In record time

The mighty race that was

Its last hurrah

Little more than a whimper

The carnival gets underway

The wheel spinning round and round

Ignatius of Cannus

Takes two beauties

Pearl

An icy maiden

Missing large patches

From her neck and back

And Rita

Short for Margarita

Named after the Mexican singer

Who died tragically in Austin

Just before The Departure

Live long enough

And it’s funny

How differently you perceive things

Many of us now wish

The same had befallen us

No longer mourning her

Admiring how easy

She got off

All her pride

Still intact

Her eyes

Slender frame

Even the way she walks

Just like former pop star

But there’s one thing missing

Her jaw

No telling

What St. Ignatius

Plans to do with her

But I doubt

It’s legal

Dr. Phil

I like to call him

No idea

What his real name is

His thick mustache

The only thing that matches

Clever of him to grow it out

Otherwise we’d have a good look

At the craters

In his upper lip

Bitten off by someone

Not keen on his advances

Still he cannot help himself

Breaking the bank

On a mega deal

For three damaged souls

Worth 60,000 credits

A mother and daughter

No more aware of their link

Than a fish and a bicycle

And a third wheel

Named Glenda

The biggest surprise of all

They strip her down

And find both a penis and vagina

I’ve heard of mutation

With increasing frequency

Seen it with my own eyes

But this is something new

And it doesn’t bear the mark

Of surgical precision

Is this

Another mandate

In hopes

Of ensuring our survival

Or is the Federation

Just playing God

To indulge

Its curiosity

They whittle down

The remaining inventory

Each time I wait

For my name to be called

But it doesn’t come

More than two-dozen

Now have happy homes

But I’m not that puppy in the window

Take me home

At your own risk