“Nobody Can Hear A Scream In The Vacuum Of Space, Or So They Say.”

“Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say.”

This is a story for the Vocal “New Worlds Challenge” which you can find out about below.

Writer: “Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say.”

Editor: “What sort of a first line is that, you’re supposed to be writing a science fiction story, starting a book, and all you can do is rip off the punch line from ‘Alien’ , come on you gotta do better than that”

The writer is a budding author , the editor is a robot with Artificial Intelligence, no empathy, no sympathy, is “results driven” and has deadlines to meet which will be met whatever the consequences. The blood and bones of many would-be authors are on the metal hands of this would be rootic Citizen Kane.

Writer: “But you asked for a space situated story and what is ‘Alien’ , I have never heard of it?”

Editor: “‘Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Dan O'Bannon based on a story by O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett. The tagline is ‘In space no one can hear you scream’ , see what I mean?”

Writer: “Yeah I definitely see, and my line is a bit rubbish when you compare it to that one, what’s the film about?”

Editor: “The commercial space cruiser Nostromo comes across a mysterious derelict spaceship on an undiscovered moon,and the crew find themselves up against an aggressive and deadly extraterrestria. It then ironically spawned a franchise, the follow up ‘Aliens’ was even better, but then it went downhill. It made a star of Sigourney Weaver and the monster designed by the Swiss artist H.R. Giger was a superb horrific design”

Writer: “I will have to watch it. So are you ok with the rest of my story if I change my first line?”

Editor: “I didn’t even read past the first line. That first line was so bad that I decided it would only go downhill from there so it was not worth my time and effort. You are not the only writer that I am dealing with.

You are not the only writer that I am dealing with.,

You are not the only writer that I am dealing with.,

Click Click Click

Reset

Sorry about that”

Writer: “So if I change that first line you will read and edit the rest of my book?”

Editor: “THe Quality of Mercy Is Not Strnnnne”

Writer: “Are You Ok? Can you edit my work, I really need this book published”

Writer (to Himself): “I really miss human editors when you could trust what they said or have a good argument. You can put your case. It’s like when they brought in auto checkouts in supermarkets and petrol stations. If something goes wrong you need a human to sort it out and fix it”

The Editor’s display goes blank. It just shut down. The Writer leaves the room and remembers he has seen no other humans in the building apart from other writers. You cannot see an editor without a designated appointment, and ironically you can only get an appointment by sending a handwritten letter to the Department of Edits as they do not do emails or phone calls.

The Writer walks out into another day into this dystopia, if he can’t get his book accepted he can’t get any money to pay his rent and food. He will be out on the street and without the ability to write anywhere since the libraries were all shut.

Outside in the street he screamed.

He had to find another way out of this