UWEC Story Challenge
Matt Ledger
English/Creative Writing
So the other day I had a thought, a thought related to an article I’d read about an upcoming issue of Vertigo’s House of Mystery. The issue is going to be penned by four writers, each tackling a different section, which isn’t all that unconventional. What is unconventional is the way the story is set to progress. The first writer is supposed to set up within his or her pages a problem of some sort, any kind of conflict. The challenge for the next writer is to both wrap up this problem and introduce one of his or her own for the next writer to solve, and so on down the chain.
I’ve been looking for something to submit to the Flipside for awhile now, however, nothing I’ve thought of seemed interesting or innovative enough to make it worth writing. Until now. I think that with the impressive writing/creative community we have here we could come up with one hell of a story between us. Which brings me to the challenge. At the end of this article I will start a story, introduce a couple characters, and set up a problem. The challenge is for one of you reading this to write the next part of the story, making sure to follow these guidelines:
1. Resolve the problem presented to you by the previous writer, in a believable fashion if possible.
2. Before your part of the story ends, you must introduce a new problem. You must also introduce plausible pieces and means that could conceivably be used to solve your problem. Whether the next writer chooses to use them or not is up to them.
3. You must advance the overall plot. Keep the characters moving; have them do something.
4. Have fun!
Now, this formula can produce a great story, or it can produce a classic flop (look up The DC Challenge for an example of the latter). It will only be as good as we make it, so if you do contribute please take care. Obviously, if and when anything more will see print is up to the Flipside editorial staff, so I would leave rules for submissions up to them. Ideally each chapter would be penned by a different author, but at the very least no two consecutive chapters should be written by the same person.
If it works, we’ll have a cool, serialized story chapter to look forward to every two weeks. If it doesn’t, well, at least it should be interesting. So, without further ado…
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“Aarghh!” The synapses in Raymond Gardner’s right shoulder suddenly leapt ablaze with pain, and then went maddeningly numb just as quickly. He looked down towards the ground to find his right arm, still sheathed in TeleTek, lying at his feet.
“You still have one good arm with which to pleasure yourself Gardner! Tell me where the Statue of Horace is and I may let you keep it!” The shrieking, crude voice belonged to Collini the Carver, a petro-man from the planet Cosimo. The Carver had transported Gardner aboard his ship, Kenjutsu, from the surface of the planet Pyrios just moments after Gardner had recovered the Statue of Horace. Gardner was supposed to turn the Statue over to Collini; it had been part of their deal. When Gardner showed up on Kenjutsu statue-less, the Carver decided to show Gardner how he had earned his nickname by pulling out his atomic severance pistol and, like a blade through grass, cutting off Ray’s arm.
Gardner’s TeleTek suit had already sent nanites to staunch the bleeding and begin sealing the hole where his shoulder was hanging out. The suit was the latest in space environmental protection. Telepathic plugs allowed the user to communicate mind to mind with other members of his crew. A HUD display analyzed the environment and allowed vision on a variety of spectrums. The nanites which comprised the actual armor of the suit were made from Halonium, light yet dense enough for substantial protection. The nanites interacted with the wearer’s body, interpreting biological data and nerve responses and providing slightly enhanced strength. The dizzying numbness Gardner had felt was already gone, that was how fast the nanites worked.
‘Gardner! Gardner, what the hell is going on?!’ The voice shouting in Ray’s head was Eva, his pilot. Ray’s ship was maintaining orbit on the other side of the planet from Kenjutsu. Ray was supposed to teleport back after he recovered the statue, and then the crew was supposed to make a run for it. At least that was how Ray had detailed the plan to her this morning.
Gardner hated having people in his head, especially when they were shouting. ‘Change in plans Eva. I won’t be more than a minute, promise.’
‘Change in plans my tight behind. You were planning on doing this all along, weren’t you Gardner?”
Gardner smiled. “What,” screeched the Carver, “is so fucking amusing about you losing your life Raymond? The Statue! Tell me where it is!”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Gardner said, with a slight note of triumph in his voice, “I think it’s pretty funny that if you hadn’t shot my arm off I never would’ve been able to do this.” Gardner pointed past the Carver to the control panel of the ship. Collini couldn’t help but look.
“No!” In the time it had taken Collini to gloat and threaten Gardner, Ray had managed to compel his severed right arm to crawl over and up to the control panel of the ship. It was now in position to open the airlock at the back of the ship, a contingency that the Carver, currently not in space dress, was ill-prepared for.
“You fuc-“ That was all Collini could muster before he, the air which would have carried his words, and Gardner were sucked out of the ship and into the blackness of space.