thriller
The Wage Slave’s Manifesto 3 (STORY)
— — Chapter 2 << >> Chapter 4 ### **The Aftermath** Ethan hunched over a flickering BMSE terminal, his eyes bloodshot. Praetorian’s stock plummets into freefall, its collapse splashed across every underground feed. Corporate news drones spin the narrative — *“Terrorist algorithms sabotage patriotic industry!”* — but the damage is done. Ethan’s CCS account swells to **$1.2 million**, a number that feels hollow as alarms blare on his stolen tablet.
By Ethan Cole2 years ago in Fiction
The Backyard
Outside in the backyard there were always wildflowers growing everywhere. You could even have seen rabbits, squirrels and birds of all kinds. But, one day that started out being a beautiful, sunny day turned out to be a day that nobody ever expected to happen. The sky turned an awful dark gray almost black, but they thought a tornado was approaching but none of them heard the tell-tale sign of a roaring train. As quick as the dark sky appeared it disappeared and the sun came back out, but it also seemed different for now it was blistering hot, and the humidity was unbearable.
By Mark Graham2 years ago in Fiction
The Rise of Virtual Reality: How VR is Shaping Our Future. AI-Generated.
Virtual reality (VR) has evolved from a futuristic concept to a transformative technology reshaping multiple industries. Initially developed for immersive gaming experiences, VR has expanded into education, healthcare, and business, offering innovative solutions and enhancing user engagement. As advancements in hardware and software continue to drive VR’s evolution, its impact on society is becoming increasingly profound.
By Mohammad Shajalal2 years ago in Fiction
In the Kitchen. Top Story - February 2025.
There was a kitchen not as clean as the one in the image, but a kitchen filled with clutter and love. It was a kitchen that had even last appliance and gadget that one could want to make delicious and healthy meals, but will the mother have a chance to use all that she has collected? There should be a shelf where she kept all her secret recipes, but were they really secrets or just really special to her and her family.
By Mark Graham2 years ago in Fiction
Sarah Matthews and the Forbidden Feelings
Dawn broke over Equilibrium, the programmed lighting mimicking a sunrise nobody truly appreciated. Sarah had spent the night hiding in an automated maintenance alcove, her journalist's instincts telling her that her assigned apartment would no longer be safe.
By Shane D. Spear2 years ago in Fiction
Am pregnant for a theif. AI-Generated.
As a skilled thief, Lena had always been able to rely on her quick wit, agility and stealth to get her out of sticky situations. But now, as she stood in front of the mirror staring at her growing belly, she couldn't help but feel like her whole world was being turned upside down. She was pregnant. Lena had always been careful, always taken precautions to avoid this exact situation. But somehow, someway she had gotten caught off guard. And now, as she faced the reality of her situation, Lena couldn't help but wonder how she was going to continue her life as carrying a child of a thief. She had always been a solo act, never staying in one place for too long, always looking over her shoulder. But with a baby on the way, Lena knew that she couldn't keep living that way. She thought about reaching out to her old partner, Jack but she knew that he would just try to talk her into giving up the life altogether. And Lena wasn't ready to do that. Not yet, anyway. So, she did the only thing she could think of she started to plan. She began to scope out new targets, ones that would be easier to hit now that she was... compromised. She started to save up money, knowing that she would need it to take care of her baby. And she started to think about finding a new place to live, somewhere safe and secure. But as the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months, Lena began to realize just how hard it was going to be to balance her life with a child and with her new role as a mother to be. She was constantly tired, her back ached from the weight of her growing belly and she couldn't seem to get her mind off from the source of the baby she was carrying knowing that she is going to have a child for an unknown thief that repped her because they could not get money from her when they came to rob her. One night, as she was casing a potential target, Lena felt a sudden kick from the baby. She gasped, startled and almost lost her footing on the rooftop. As she caught her breath, Lena couldn't help but laugh. This was crazy. This child am carrying is the blood of a thief, for crying out loud! She wasn't supposed to have a baby for a thief and worrying about diapers and daycare. But as she looked down at her belly, Lena felt a surge of love and protectiveness. She was going to be a mother and she was going to do whatever it took to provide for her baby. Even if it meant giving up the life. Lena took a deep breath, feeling a sense of resolve wash over her. She was going to have to find a new way to live, even if is stealing and scheming as the child father does . It wouldn't be easy, but Lena was determined to make it work. For her baby's sake, she was willing to do anything. As she made her way back down to the streets, Lena felt a sense of hope that she hadn't felt in a long time. She was going to be okay. She was going to be a good mother. And she was going to leave the life of a spinster behind, once and for all. *A New Path* Lena's decision to leave the life of a good mother was not an easy one. She had spent years honing her skills, building a reputation and making a name for herself in the underworld. But as she looked down at her growing belly, Lena knew that she had to make a change. She had to survive by getting a job any job that can sustain her and her baby, especially now that she had a baby to think about but also she didn't know how and where to get a job at this her condition. So, she started to make plans. She began to sell off her important stuffs in her house, using the money to set up a new life for herself and her baby. She found a small apartment in a quiet neighborhood, and started to furnish it with second hand furniture and baby supplier. But she knew that she had made the right decision. She was going to be a mother, and she needed to put her baby's needs first. As the months passed, Lena settled into her new life. She later found a job as a waitress at a local diner and started to make friends with the other mothers in the neighborhood. She also started to take classes, learning new skills and hobbies that she could enjoy with her baby. She discovered a love of painting and started to create beautiful works of art that she could hang in her new home. As she looked around at her new life, Lena felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. She had left the life of a street normal spinster behind, and had found a new path that was filled with promise and possibility. And as she held her newborn baby in her arms, Lena knew that she had made the right decision. She was a mother now and she was ready to face whatever challenges came her way. Epilogue: Lena's baby boy, Max, grew up to be a happy and healthy child. Lena continued to work as a waitress and also started to sell her artwork at local galleries. She never forgot her past of how she was pregnanted by a thief, but she never looked back either. She was too busy building a new life for herself and her son, and enjoying every moment of it. Years later, when Max was old enough to ask about his father, Lena sat him down and told him the whole story. She told him about how the father ripped her and got her pregnant , the pain and suffering she went through alone without nobody to help because she was an orphan raised by her grandmother who died after she was beaten by a snake in her farm, and how she was left alone to fetch for herself when the money leanders collected her grandmother’s farm because they borrowed money for her treatment thinking she will get back on her fit and repay them but unfortunately she did not make it . But she also told him about the dangers, the risks, and the consequences. She told him about the decision she had made to leave the life behind and about the new path she had chosen. Max listened with wide eyes, fascinated by his mother's story. And when she finished he looked up at her with a sense of pride and admiration. "I'm glad you made the right decision, Mom," he said. Lena smiled, feeling a sense of pride and satisfaction. She knew that she had made the right decision and that she had found a new path that was filled with promise and possibility.
By Henry Lucy2 years ago in Fiction
Selections from the Grand Bazaar
The Hardlands outside of Vargos, where suburbs sat abandoned and half-buried in irradiated sand, where cracked highways crisscrossed the landscape like dry veins, and the only water to drink came from bubbling toxic marshes scattered across the plains.
By R.R. Stephenson2 years ago in Fiction
The Assignment. Top Story - February 2025.
The Assignment D. A. Ratliff I woke up in Paris, not knowing if this would be the best or worst day of my life. Dawn lit the city sky outside the hotel room where I had spent the last three days posing as a wealthy vineyard heiress from Reims. There was a plot to kidnap the young heiress, Lucie Boudoin, and I had taken her place as bait. For my first assignment, being bait was stressful, but I had to admit it was a bit of an adrenaline rush.
By D. A. Ratliff2 years ago in Fiction
Sarah Matthews and the Forbidden Feelings
Morning in Equilibrium arrived with methodical precision. The lighting in Sarah's apartment gradually brightened to simulate dawn, and her comm device chimed with a gentle reminder: "Daily wellness supplement required before departure."
By Shane D. Spear2 years ago in Fiction
