Guilty Conscience: A Sci-Fi Short Story

 GUILTY CONSCIENCE

Henry N. Silva

The scientist and his assistant wait patiently in the alley…

“You sure this is where he said to meet?” The assistant asks.

His mentor nods in assurance, “Positive.”

Not too long after, an older man emerges. A man whom the assistant only knows as the terrorist.

“Did you do what I asked?” The older man snarls.

“Yessir,” the scientist hands the terrorist the suitcase he had been carrying. “Used the leftover uranium you gave us to make exactly what you wanted.”

The terrorist takes hold of the suitcase, “If this bomb turns out to be fake, you and your family are done for, yah hear?”

“No need to worry.”

“So what’re yah making with all that extra uranium anyways?”

“A time machine.”

“Ha, that’s rich!” The terrorist bellows, before turning around and leaving…

The assistant then turns towards his mentor, “Did you really just give him a real bomb?”

“Sure did.”

“How do you not have a guilty conscience about that?!”

“Like I said… No need to worry.”

***

The terrorist makes his way towards the amusement park, suitcase in hand…

Suddenly, a flurry of police officers surround him, “Freeze!”

Among them is the scientist himself…

“You?!” The terrorist shakes his head in disbelief, “How?!”

“I waited until you would try to detonate the bomb, to see where you’d be and when,” the scientist explains. “Then I went back in time to stop you.”

Related: Fiction Repository

The Choice: A Narrative Poem

 THE CHOICE

A Narrative Poem

Henry N. Silva

Midland; where day meets night and where night meets day

Where magic and science become one

Gio takes it all in, knowing this day will be his last there

He takes in the perfect sky and weather

Not too bright or dark, not too hot or cold

He looks upon all the wonderful machines

Aided ever-so-slightly by magic

The limited land which everyone wants

Which is exactly why he must now go…

His superior stands before him

“Sorry,” the brooding man says, plainly

“We can no longer afford to employ you”

“But I have no family,” Gio sighs

“How can I stay?” He asks, despite knowing the answer

“You can’t,” the older man responds bluntly,

Raising his arms in opposite directions, “Now you must choose.”

Gio looks through the clear, virtual shields protecting Midland

Far into the east, he sees Nightland

Where bright spots of magic pierce through the darkness

Far into the west, he sees Dayland

Where cities stand tall, beneath the eternal sun

The magic and mythic creatures of the night entice him

As does the advanced technology of the day,

More advanced than anything else he has known in his two decades alive

He looks back at his former employer, “Is magic hard to master?”

The older man raises an eyebrow, “Have you ever tried it?”

Gio sighs again, “Yes… It was fun… But hard…

I think I’ve made my choice.”

He points to the west, and then instantly wonders;

Did I choose right?

TEN YEARS LATER

Gio awakens in his small, rundown home…

Through his window shades, he sees the eternal light of Dayland

Grunting, he stumbles out of bed,

Doing his best to ignore the industrial sounds outdoors…

He looks up at a bought painting on his wall,

Depicting a wizard of light and a wizard of darkness

He gazes at the hero, lamenting what he did not strive for

His eyes then move over to the villain of the piece,

As he wonders if he would have become that instead…

“Things could always be worse, I suppose…”

He had always thought about trying to paint as well,

But always told himself “Some other time!”

As usual, he steps out into the streets,

Heading towards his mundane work of fixing machines

On his way, he finds a homeless man, drawing in a notebook

“Did someone buy that for you?” Gio can’t help but ask

“No,” the hoodlum responds. “Bought it with the money I had left”

Gio raises an eyebrow, “May I ask why?”

“Helps me live with the choices that ruined my life…

That’s all life is ever about, right?

Finding a way to live with the choices you make!”

Related: Poetry Repository

Random Favorites

  The title is self-explanatory, so let’s just jump in:

MUSIC ARTIST: Red Hot Chili Peppers

LIVE ALBUM: Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York

ELECTRIC LIVE ALBUM: Kiss - Alive!

ACOUSTIC ALBUM: Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York

ACOUSTIC STUDIO ALBUM: Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies

PSYCHEDELIC/BLUES ARTIST: Jimi Hendrix

PSYCHEDELIC/BLUES ALBUM: Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced? (US Version)

PSYCHEDELIC/BLUES SONG: Jimi Hendrix - “Little Wing”

PROG ARTIST: Pink Floyd

PROG ALBUM: Pink Floyd - The Wall

PROG SONG: Pink Floyd - “Wish You Were Here”

RAP/HIP-HOP ARTIST: Outkast

RAP/HIP-HOP ALBUM: Outkast - Aquemini

RAP/HIP-HOP SONG: Outkast - “Rosa Parks”

RAPPER: Andre 3000

GARAGE ARTIST: The White Stripes

GARAGE ALBUM: The White Stripes - Elephant

GARAGE SONG: The White Stripes - “Fell in Love with a Girl”

SHOEGAZE ARTIST: My Bloody Valentine

SHOEGAZE ALBUM: My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

SHOEGAZE SONG: My Bloody Valentine - “Loomer”

THRASH ARTIST: Metallica

THRASH ALBUM: Metallica - Ride the Lightning

THRASH SONG: Metallica - “Ride the Lightning”

POP/R&B/SOUL ARTIST: Michael Jackson

POP/R&B/SOUL ALBUM: Michael Jackson - Thriller

POP/R&B/SOUL SONG: Michael Jackson - “Thriller”

NU-METAL ARTIST: Linkin Park

NU-METAL ALBUM: Linkin Park - Meteora

NU-METAL SONG: Slipknot - “The Heretic Anthem”

BRITPOP ARTIST: Oasis

BRITPOP ALBUM: Oasis - (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?

BRITPOP SONG: Oasis - “Champagne Supernova”

NY ARTIST: Kiss

NY ALBUM: Kiss - Hotter than Hell

NY SONG: Kiss - “I Stole Your Love”

BOSTON ARTIST: Aerosmith

BOSTON ALBUM: Aerosmith - Rocks

BOSTON SONG: Aerosmith - “Rats in the Cellar”

CHICAGO ARTIST: The Smashing Pumpkins

CHICAGO ALBUM: The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream

CHICAGO SONG: The Smashing Pumpkins - “Mayonaise”

STONER ARTIST: Tool

STONER ALBUM: Tool - Undertow

STONER SONG: Tool - “The Pot”

DESERT ARTIST: Queens of the Stone Age

DESERT ALBUM: Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf

DESERT SONG: Queens of the Stone Age - “You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar (But I Feel Like a Millionaire)”

NEW WAVE/SYNTHPOP ARTIST: Depeche Mode

NEW WAVE/SYNTHPOP ALBUM: Depeche Mode - Violator

NEW WAVE/SYNTHPOP SONG: Dead or Alive - “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”

BRITISH INVASION/POP ROCK ARTIST: The Beatles

BRITISH INVASION/POP ROCK ALBUM: The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour (US Version)

BRITISH INVASION/POP ROCK SONG: The Rolling Stones - “Gimme Shelter”

GROOVE METAL ARTIST: Pantera

GROOVE METAL ALBUM: Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power

GROOVE METAL SONG: Pantera - “Cemetery Gates”

NOISE ROCK/SHOCK ROCK ARTIST: White Zombie

NOISE ROCK/SHOCK ROCK ALBUM: White Zombie - Astro-Creep: 2000

NOISE ROCK/ SHOCK ROCK SONG: White Zombie - “More Human than Human”

INDUSTRIAL ARTIST: Nine Inch Nails

INDUSTRIAL ALBUM: Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

INDUSTRIAL SONG: Nine Inch Nails - “Head Like a Hole”

BLACK METAL ARTIST: Mayhem

BLACK METAL ALBUM: Mayhem - Live in Leipzig

BLACK METAL SONG: Mayhem - “Carnage”

UK ARTIST: Led Zeppelin

UK ALBUM: Oasis - (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?

UK SONG: The Rolling Stones - “Gimme Shelter”

CANADA ARTIST: Rush

CANADA ALBUM: Rush - Moving Pictures

CANADA SONG: Rush - “Limelight”

COEN BROTHERS FILM: No Country for Old Men

MARTIN SCORSESE FILM: Goodfellas

LEONARDO DICAPRIO FILM: Inception

MATT DAMON FILM: The Bourne Identity

TV CHANNEL: Food Network

FOOD: Peanut butter

FRUIT: Banana

DRINK: Tea

ANIMATED FILM: Toy Story 2

2D ANIMATED FILM: The Iron Giant

VIDEOGAME: Tetris

NARRATIVE VIDEOGAME: The Legend of Zelda - The Wind Waker

COMBAT VIDEOGAME: Super Smash Bros. Melee

CARD GAME: Solitaire

FILMMAKER: Steven Spielberg

UK FILMMAKER: Alfred Hitchcock

ROMCOM FILMMAKER: Richard Curtis

SCI-FI FILMMAKER: George Lucas

WRITER: Philip K. Dick

POET: Charles Bukowski

POEM: “So You Want to Be a Writer?” by Charles Bukowski

ACTOR: Marlon Brando

ACTING PERFORMANCE: Marlon Brando in The Godfather

STORE: Barnes & Noble

GROCERY STORE: Trader Joe’s

COLOR: Brown

STAND-UP COMEDIAN: Norm McDonald

PLAY: Hamilton

ALL-TIME ALBUM COVER: Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

60’s ALBUM COVER: Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced? (US Version)

80’s ALBUM COVER: Metallica - Master of Puppets

90’s ALBUM COVER: Faith No More - Angel Dust

00’s ALBUM COVER: Red Hot Chili Peppers - By the Way

10’s ALBUM COVER: Jack White - Blunderbuss

20’s ALBUM COVER: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Unlimited Love

Peace!

Related: List Repository