15 Healthy distractions to deal with stress and boredom

Distractions….whether we admit it or not, we all need some type of distraction from society. Society is stressful in general and in order to deal with stress, we need distractions. And when it is not stressful, it can be achingly boring. It depends on the individual. Some of us love to go to work, but we hate coming home. And then there are those of us who love coming home but hate going to work. Even if we love going to work, there is always a stressful element threatening to push us over the edge. To help us get through we need healthy distractions.

My definition of a healthy distraction is something that will not hinder your life, isn’t dangerous and isn’t illegal. I can think of several examples of unhealthy distractions , but just to name a few.... Drugs are dangerous, watching “bad” videos at work is a really “bad” idea and drinking while driving is just idiotic.

So here are some healthy distractions:

1.       Going for a walk: You can take a break from work or home and go for a walk. Good scenery is a bonus.

2.       Meditation/Prayer.

3.       Exercise: I don’t do this enough. But find an exercise that relaxes you and it will become a lifelong friend.

4.       Read a good book: If you are like me and don’t have as much time to read, consider getting an audio book. It isn’t the same as holding a book in your hand, but it is just as much fun and has nearly the same benefits.

5.       Sing.

6.       Play/Listen to Music.

7.       Play with children: I remember one week I watched my infant daughter; I got behind in my work and spent the following weeks catching up. But that week with my daughter is a week that I will always cherish. My son and I don’t play chess very often, but when we do—we have a good time. Play with your children. It is a blessing on many levels.

8.       Laugh: I like to watch cartoons that make me laugh on a daily basis. Some of the funny cartoons/shows can be mind-numbingly dumb, so choose carefully.

9.       Watch/Play Sports: Hey, its football season and basketball is right around the corner. Enough said.

10.   Paint.

11.   Draw.

12.   Write: I have found that daily writing is as relaxing as reading. I have a goal when it comes to writing. Ambition tends to take what is a fun hobby and turn it into something less enjoyable. So make it a point to find a good balance between fun and work, if your hobby has potential to be a future occupation.

13.   Create Jewelry.

14.   Dance.

15.   Spend time with loved ones.

There are hundreds of possiblities. The most important thing for you to consider is what you are doing and why you are doing it. Take a moment to reflect on these ideas and other things that you can do that will have a positive impact on your life right now.

When we take some time to consciously "distract" ourselves in healthy ways—as opposed to accidentally distracting ourselves in unhealthy ways—we interrupt the negative things that bring on stress and boredom. Thus, we are one step closer to having peace and joy in our lives.

Dreaming beyond our Circumstances

As we celebrate the anniversary of a great speech, sermon, lecture and vision. It is important that we consider all the many things we can learn from Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. I want to look at something that we all can draw upon and apply to our lives. That is the ability to dream beyond our circumstances—to look past situations, obstacles or mountains in our lives and see what is at the end of our path.

Sometimes we need sight beyond sight to dream beyond our circumstances. Sight beyond sight is another way of seeing well enough to take that first step even though we can’t see the entire staircase. It is faith. But faith is a product of believing, but in order to believe it we have to conceive it. That is dreaming beyond our circumstance.

It is hard when everything and everyone tells you no. No, you can’t have a good job. No, you can’t have your bills paid. No, you can’t have a faithful spouse. No, you can’t have healthy children. No, you can’t have a running car. No, you can’t have a decent house. No, you can’t have a better life. No. No. No.

But when you dream beyond your circumstances, you don’t take “no” for an answer.

That is one of the many things we can take from this great man of liberty—that we can dream beyond our circumstances. Not just for ourselves, but for our children, our family and friends. We can dream beyond their circumstances too.  But being the teacher that I am I have to say, that a dream is no more than shimmering air if there is no plan or action behind it. Open your heart to your dream. Conceive it. Believe it. Plan for your dream and work for your dream with the belief that it will come true.

Conceive it, believe it, plan it and then work for it.

7 ways to help your child succeed in school

I attended a public school as a child and like all students who did exceptionally well in academics, I had to deal with the negative stigmatism of having “book sense but no common sense.” As if there was something terribly wrong with seeking excellence in pursuit of an education. I didn’t truly care what others thought. My parents didn’t raise me to care what other people thought, but even I have to admit that when you come from humble a background it seems that succeeding in school can be challenging.

As an adult, I see that more people realize that in order to move from one social class to another, you will have to embrace the power of education. A degree or certification in an area of expertise is a gift that keeps on giving. But we often find our children struggling in middle school and relying on dreams of playing a sport to be there legal way out of poverty level living.

But every child is not LeBron James.

Our children have more challenges today than we did as children. They need their parent's help to succeed. And it is in our best interest to help them…unless we want them to live with us, well into their 40’s.

So, here are ways you can help your child succeed:

1.      First and foremost, show your children that you care.

My parents didn’t follow all of the advice here. But they did the most important thing a parent could do. The showed that they cared.

My mother cared enough to pursue her own educational endeavors. Seeing her work hard to take care of us and get an education was both motivating and confirming. It motivated me to continue to learn and confirmed that hard work would pay off.

And my grandmother prepared me for the first grade, because I couldn’t get into pre-school. I was ahead of some of the students and I was eager to learn.

They showed that they cared in their own way. And that is the most important thing you can do. Show that you care in your own way.

Note: Most of what I will list falls under the umbrella of showing that you care.

2.      Ask about your children’s homework.

If you show that you care about their homework, then they will care about their homework.

3.      Talk to you children about school for a short time each day.

For the same reason you ask about their homework. Now, I understand, listening to your child talk about the drama of school—something you left behind a long time ago—can be like watching paint dry. But you only need to do it for a few minutes to “show” interest.

When you talk with them, talk from a positive point of view. Don’t say things like, “I wasn’t good in school.” It just gives them a reason to not do well in school either. Instead, say, “School is a great, because knowledge is power.” Or something along that line. Just be positive. If you try, you can find something positive to say.

4.      Teach children respect for authorities, their fellow students and themselves.

Don’t be that parent.

You know the one that always takes their child’s side. Little Damien can be sitting there with horns coming out of his head and steam coming out of his ears. Yet his mother is calling him her little angel. I guess that it is a parent’s job; to see the best in their child, but don’t give them an avenue to manipulate, you and the teacher.

5.      Ensure that your child is living healthy.

They need plenty of sleep, healthy foods to eat and clear water to drink. Limit their television, video games and increase their physical play. Exercise sends oxygen to the brain—it makes you smarter. Some parents will have a problem with this because you can’t enforce these rules and be your child’s friend.

But you child already has friends.

They don’t need you to be their friend. They need you to be their mother or father. And if you need them to be your friend, then might I suggest making friends with Jesus or another adult?

6.      Actively take part in educating your child.

This could involve buying books for your child, reading to your pre-school or elementary child and encouraging your child to read. I visit the bookstore weekly with my family and everyone gets something to read, even my one-year old.

Also, help them with their homework. Don’t do their homework for them, push them in the right direction or encourage them to do their best. I have had times when my son has come to me with problems and I had to read the question twice, because I had no clue what they were asking.

Difficulty with the homework can be expected, but even if you have no idea how to do whatever your fifth grader is doing, you can find someone that does. If you have a humble background, you may not have the funds for a tutor, but someone in the family can help. And even if you can’t find anyone, put aside whatever you are doing and try to figure it out together. It will be fun. If you aren’t able to figure it out, be positive. Tell your child that “we” must be missing something and tell him or her to ask the teacher a few choice questions {depends on the problem} and encourage your child to move on to the next problem, this will give your child a mission that is important to the both of you and they will try even harder.

7.      And finally give them a reward for good behavior.

It is called positive reinforcement. You are reinforcing positive actions with positive rewards. Don’t give them food as a reward. I have four words for you. Obesity. Diabetes. Heart Disease. Give them a toy, book, money or something that they will appreciate and preferably won’t hurt your pocket.

That’s it. 7 ways and your child will be on his or her way to becoming something great. Also, remember to teach your child that everyone is a genius at something and everyone can be a genius at working hard.

 

How to Forgive: 3 steps

“Ouch!” That hurt right? That mosquito bit you and WHAM, you sent that joker to bug hell. No hard feelings. You got your revenge and you are done with it. Better yet, there were no feelings whatsoever, you dealt with your problem and now it is a thing of the past—except for the bump it’s going to leave.

But what if that mosquito was a boyfriend or a girlfriend? What if that bite was an STD or an emptied bank account. You can’t just squash your ex…. Well you could, but I wouldn’t advise it. Comparing an emptied bank account to a mosquito bite is a very poor comparison but I wanted to make a point. And my point is that it is easy to put behind small hurts—but big hurts?

Not so much.

Yet the same way we handle the mosquito bite is the way we need to handle our past hurt. We put it behind us. How do we do it? We forgive. How do we forgive? It’s complicated but possible. And forgiveness of others can only happen if you forgive yourself. That being said, if you have forgiven yourself then here are three things that I apply to my life (in no particular order) to help me forgive:

1.       Just do it.

Yes, this is my personal preferred method of forgiveness. I just do it. It is a mindset. I don’t see it as something that I should do, but as something that I have to do. Why? Because if I don’t I am the one that is going to pay for it. I am not going to be victimized twice by anyone. I am victimized once, when they commit the crime and then secondly when I lose sleep or my health, because I can’t forgive them.

2.       Don’t try to forget but…

Treat them like you forgot. This is only something that is an issue if you have to deal with the person periodically. Don’t forget what they did, that is downright dangerous, but treat them like you forgot. After all, you will probably have to interact with this person in some form for the sake of someone or something important to you. Put away angry thoughts directed toward that person and keep them a safe distance away. You can’t really forgive or interact with anyone well, if you are thinking about stabbing them in the eye. Also, back to forgiving yourself, you should also treat YOURSELF as if you forgot. Yes, I know that it sounds odd, but consider doing/not doing the following:

a.       Don’t keep bringing  up the story. You may not realize it but every time you bring it up, you are bringing yourself right back to the pain and as long as you keep doing this, you will never heal.

b.      Don’t live your life as if you are destined to get hurt the same way by a different person or thing. You end up living a life of imprisonment and in a way you imprison the good people around you. I have to be honest. I have spent a lot of hours with past girlfriends paying for what an ex-boyfriend did.

c.       Do learn how to balance trust with wisdom. Yes, I hear you. You didn’t do anything wrong. I believe you, but you have to take your life in your own hands. Learn whom to trust and whom not to trust. Once you do this, you will have the confidence to move on and you will be essentially treating yourself as if you forgot.

3.       And finally—

Get justice. No, I am not talking about revenge. I am talking about closure, which could range from confronting the person to ensuring that they pay for their crime. Now here is where you have to weigh the cost. Look, if the person you want to confront is psycho; then don’t confront them. At the very least that person may try to twist things and make you feel like it was ALL your fault. If there was an illegal crime against you, take whatever evidence you have to the police and put it in the hands of the law. Me personally, my greatest act of justice is to live. Live a happy productive life, so that the person that harmed me would know that in the scheme of things their existence was only a small obstacle.

You will notice that I didn’t mention prayer or praying to have your anger or even hatred removed. I believe in the power of prayer. But I also believe that prayer with actions is very effective. In other words, sometimes God will not remove your mountain, but if that is the case, he will surely give you the strength to climb it.

Put on a happy face

I won’t deny that we live in a very negative world. We take a gamble every time we walk out the door. Honestly, we take a gamble even if we stay in our home. There are so many ways to get hurt or worse. So, it is no wonder that we tend to have a sour view about life.

But that is not our natural state. Have we watched a child’s face when they find wonder in something as simple as dirt or water? A beam of light shining through a blind is fascinating to them and yet we find a 3D high definition movie boring.

I suppose that ignorance is bliss.

But could it be that they know something that we don’t know? Or that they do something that we don’t do? Yes. Children approach everything with a sense of wonderment. It is not about ignorance. When they are six months, six year and in some cases sixteen years old, they still find dirt fascinating. They have a different worldview. They believe that everything will work out, that they can fly, that ain’t no mountain high enough and ain’t no valley low enough. Dirty isn’t just something you trample under your feet. Dirt is a sand castle or a mud cake. Dirt is fun.

Until the world convinces them otherwise.

 I don’t want to ignore the world for what it is. But when we focus on the negative of the world, then we are not seeing what the world truly is. A complicated mixture, but one definitely full of beauty and goodness. We won’t be able to see that beauty or goodness, until we learn how to meditate on things that are of a good report. In other words, seek the good, wonderful, beautiful and positive in life.

If we search, we will find what we are looking for. If we look only for the negative that is exactly what we will find. The average one-year old doesn’t look at water in a kiddie pool and think, I don’t want to get into that water because pampers and water don’t mix. No, they think about how fun it could be. They may even take that pamper off and splash away.

My point is that we should all be of positive mind and body. Take time to look for the good in life activities and other people. We will be happy when others can’t understand our smile.  So many people feel that a sour disposition is a sign of wisdom. But a negative attitude does not make you wise; it just makes you older than you are.    

 

Dance Your Stress Away

Stress is as much of a silent killer as heart disease, diabetes and obesity. In fact, stress can be a precursor to many forms of sickness. At any rate, when you have diabetes or heart disease, people typical treat it daily with some form of medicine given to them by a doctor. So why should we think that stress is any different?

My point is that we go through life, ignoring stress while it kills us. It’s like ignoring the oil light when we reach 5,000 miles and it is time for an oil change. We keep putting it off and putting it off until finally, our car stops. The same is true with stress. If we keep ignoring it, stress can do irreparable damage to our body.

So what do we do about it?

The last thing we should do is ignore it. Hey, I will admit that sometimes you just don’t see it. It sounds odd, but sometimes you can be stressed out and don’t recognize it. The reason why is because stress is a master of disguise. Stress can appear as a headache, high blood pressure, chest pain, inability to sleep, overeating, under eating or a lack of sexual desire. And that is only a fraction of the many ways that stress disguises itself.

And we have reasons to stress. Our co-worker, boss, church member, church, car, bills, job, children, parents, grandparents and your health are all possible causes of stress. It would be in our best interest to eliminate the cause of stress in the first place. Like cancer in the body, it may be possible to get rid of the cancerous cells in order for the rest of the body to live.

But that is not always possible.

The same is true for stress; it may not be possible to eliminate all causes of stress. Our boss may be a serious source of stress but she is the one that signs our paycheck. Our children will stress us out—big surprise there—but who can afford to send their children to a military school?

I think that it has been well documented that stress is bad for us or at the very least, too much stress is bad. Yet we do not take it serious enough to handle it with a daily regimen. I propose to you that it is in our best interest to treat stress daily, as if it was a manageable disease.

On a daily basis we should avoid too much caffeine and alcohol. And on a daily basis we should incorporate, a balanced diet, plenty of sleep, prayer, meditation, relaxation, laughter and some type of physical activity.

Treat it as if it is the doctor’s orders. I am a fan of running/walking outdoors, using cardio machines like the elliptical trainer, playing with my little girl and using Kinect on the Xbox.  It really doesn’t matter, as long as it is fun. On the Kinect, I even find myself trying some of the dances—unsuccessfully, but that is not the point. The point is that I am doing something for fun and it is helping me deal with stress. So deal with your stress daily. Relax, laugh a little, enjoy life and in the privacy of your home, why not dance your stress away?

The Chronicles of Free & Stryker {Slipstream Dream Episode 4 of 4}

In the year 2304, sentient androids enslaved mankind, as well as many other humanoids throughout the galaxy. Over the centuries, pockets of resistance rose to oppose them. These are the chronicles of one such team, who even in the face of impossible odds, fight to free the galaxy.

Slipstream Dream Episode 4 of 4

Cecil seemed as if he was trying desperately to hold back tears as he spoke to Free and Stryker. He walked through the cargo hold of the Red Eagle, pointing out the seven hundred or so cryogenic caskets stacked in columns—taking as little space as possible. He rattled off the cargo information in a business-like manner, but every once in a while his voice would waiver.

“You can speak freely here,” Free said. “I don’t sense any potential problems.”

“I ran a technology sweep thirty seconds ago,” Stryker said. “We are good.”

Cecil wiped a tear from his eye. “I worked hard on this project for months, but I never thought that we—you could pull it off.”

“This was a team effort,” Free said.

“I daresay that you are the only agents that could have done it. If you need anything, just let me know.  I will be here on earth or the other occupied planets.”

“I do have one request,” Stryker said. “My family. I left them to escape. If I could just find them….”

“Say no more,” Cecil said. “I have your DNA markers on file. It will take some time, but I can find all of your relatives.”

“Thank you.”

“And you, Free?”

“The resistance is my family.”

“Understood.” Cecil shook his head and wiped his face. “I paid off a few androids. You will have safe passage off the planet, but unless you have slipstream capabilities, it will take years for you to reach the delta quadrant. I suspect that you are opposed to using an organic brain as a component to your ship. But I can steal a component from a Droid ship. After all—”

Free held up his hand. “No. It’s not necessary.”

“Don’t worry about us; we will have our brothers and sisters in the delta quadrant in two days’ time,” Stryker said.

Cecil smiled. “I see. You are using an ancient method to traverse the slipstream. That would explain all of the coffee. But it is very dangerous, which one of you is the pilot?”

“We both are,” Stryker said. “Free has the natural sixth sense that the Droids covet—”

“But that is no different than using an organic brain. The damage that it will do to his mind! Please, I can find another way.”

“Not necessary. Unlike most slipstream drives, Free only maps out the path. He doesn’t have to direct the ship’s control. For him it is like dreaming,” Stryker said. “I pilot the ship manually. For me it is like a fun nightmare.”

“Ah, I see, so it is a hybrid of the ancient ways and modern ways,” Cecil said. “Human ingenuity.” He shook his head. “Still dangerous. If you make a mistake….no, if anyone can do it, you can.” He extended both of his hands. Stryker and Free took his hands and shook them. “Peace be with you.”

“As with you,” Free said.

***

Just past Pluto, Stryker saw a blip on his monitor. It faded away like an electronic ghost. “You see that?”

“Yes,” Free said over the intercom. He lay in his navigational tube. “It seems that Cecil didn’t pay off the right androids.”

“Or free Organics,” Stryker said.

“Don’t even want to consider that,” Free said.

Stryker glanced at his weapon’s control. “If we didn’t have our cargo….”

“We are far enough to jump, let’s just get out of here. No need to take chances.”

Stryker downed a can of coffee. “Yeah. Initiating slip drive.” He pushed the slipstream clutch down; a gravimetric ball of energy fired and distorted space in front of them. A vortex opened up, its gravity pulling the ship helplessly in. Stryker reversed the engines and placed his right hand on the drive shift. The screen changed from actual space to a virtual version—Free’s mind. His dreamscape. The ship slipped into the virtual tube. Stryker gripped his controller, prepared to navigate the unpredictable thrill ride and smiled. “Sweet dreams, Free.”

The End 

You can buy my adult scifi novel Hearteless: A Journey to Second Earth@amazon or here. 

For email updates, please click HERE and feel free to leave a message.

Also, feel free to comment below and follow me on Google and Twitter @ Frank_D_Rogers

The Chronicles of Free & Stryker {Slipstream Dream Episode 3 of 4}

In the year 2304, sentient androids enslaved mankind, as well as many other humanoids throughout the galaxy. Over the centuries, pockets of resistance rose to oppose them. These are the chronicles of one such team, who even in the face of impossible odds, fight to free the galaxy.

Slipstream Dream Episode 3 of 4

Stryker sat in the hover car, doing his best to imitate a well-behaved human. Lark sat directly across from him, looking anything but well-behaved. She reminded him of a predator, ready to pounce. She could snap him like a twig if she wanted, his training would only protect him for so long. A closed space meant instant death.

“Human, do you talk?”

“Yes.”

“What good are you?”

“Ma’am, I don’t understand the question.”

“So stupid. Androids keep humans around for various reasons. Service, mostly sexual. Free doesn’t strike me as the type that would interface with a human. Harvesting for transference? Does Free plan to rip out your brain and attach it to a slipstream drive?”

“I am a viable option, if he does not obtain a new one.”

She crossed her legs and pulled down her skirt. “Ah, that makes sense, but my observation suggests that he treats you more like a precious pet, then a part for his ship. He has formed an attachment to you. If it was me, you would be back on the ship, sitting in a cryogenic box waiting for service.”

Free stepped onto the platform and walked toward the hover car. He was wearing a casual suit and a long coat. He carried a metal briefcase in his left hand and a folded long coat in his right hand. Once he stepped inside of the hover car, he threw the coat to Stryker.  “Put this on. Don’t want to pay any medical bills.”

Lark scoffed. “Medical bills? We have several humans in our holding pens. We could just replace him.”

“It’s cheaper to keep him.” Free sat down next to Lark. “Is this how you do business? Wasteful spending?”

“We are extremely efficient.”

“Right.”

Lark pressed a button and the hover car sped away from the building, entered a tube system, and increased in speed. “While we are at this speed, what we do is nearly undetectable. So show me what you got. “

“So, you are more than just the personal assistant,” Free said.

“No, that’s all I am. But there is an emphasis on the personal.”

“Yeah, I would hardly call you a professional.” Free opened the case. The glow of the blue tubes gave the hover car an eerie feel.  “Use the sample in the right-hand corner.”

Lark picked up the sample, opened it, sniffed it, tasted it and then stared at both Free and Stryker. She slowly drank the vial. At first, nothing happened, but then her eyes rolled back. She slipped down in her seat and arched her back. When her back settled down, she opened and closed her legs as if she was using it to fan a fire. And then she stopped. Mind and body, completely shut down.

 There was silence, as the car left the heart of Nu Tokyo and took the scenic route over the industrialized land.

Lark started breathing again, as if she needed to breathe. She positioned herself in her seat, bit her lower lip and stared at Free. “That’s the pure stuff.”

“The best.”

“You want a hit? We could have the human cover his eyes.”

“I don’t get high on my own supply,” Free said.

She turned to Stryker. “Poor human. You will never know the pleasure of being a Droid. We are smarter, faster, more durable, and we feel things in ways that you can never feel them.” She stood up, straddled Free and nuzzled against his neck. “Even now, when your people experience mating rituals, you play games, denying one another pleasure because of some primal idiocy. While in our culture, it is criminal for a non-bonded droid to deny another. ”

Free clenched his fist.

Stryker stared out the window.

In a time not quite short enough, they were at the Morg building.  The Hover car landed on a platform at the skinniest part of the building and Lark led them to the main elevator.  

Stryker went into acting mode. “Sir. I must relieve myself.”

“What?”

“Please sir, I can’t hold it.”

“This is what you get for bringing this human with you.”

“Go, use that closet,” Free said.

“Wait a minute,” Lark said. “I have olfactory sensors. I don’t want to smell that.”

“What’s the problem,” Free said. “We are not meeting your boss for another half-hour. You are a lot more entertaining, than talking to some moldy elder android. Let my human relieve himself and you and I can relieve any pent up energy we developed since the last time we interfaced.”

“I cannot deny you. However this company has rules that circumvent our more basic laws,” Lark said.  

“What about the elevator? I don’t think there is any real security on there.”

She stared at him blankly. “Okay….” She turned to Stryker. “Human, take five minutes, I think that is all that we will need.”

Stryker stepped into the closet and checked his watch. He would give them more than five minutes.

He located the parts behind the hidden panel, gathered them on the shelf in front of him and began assembling them. He assembled both of his energy blasters in thirteen seconds. Did he need to? No. Old habits die hard. The hardest thing to assemble was his data pad. With that, he had to be delicate. Once finished, he spent the next couple of minutes assembling the other weapons.

He checked them to make sure they were all operational. This was his thing. While Free was a walking, technological miracle. Technology manipulation was his gift.

Stryker walked out of the closet and to the elevator. He stood there and waited. It opened. Lark was hanging off Free like there was no tomorrow. She pulled away and gestured. A silent message to Stryker to come on in.

“I could have used another five minutes,” Lark said.

Free gave him the signal.

As soon as the door closed, Stryker pulled a memory interface out of his pocket and stuck it to the base of Lark’s neck. “I am not sorry for this,” he said. Lark convulsed and fell to the floor. Free ripped the panel off. Stryker grabbed two wires from the exposed system, cut them and attached it to his data pad’s port.  After he tapped into the system, he looked to Free and nodded.

“Security,” Free said in Lark’s voice. “We will start our tour in the pens.”

“Acknowledged.” The elevator moved down.

Stryker tapped the keys once more. “We will hit rock bottom in two minutes.”

Lark stirred. “Y—you are terrorists?”

“Liberators,” Stryker said. He forced the memory interface under her skin.

“Why are you doing this? You are an android.”

“Nope,” Free said. “Not android. I am a cyborg.”

“Impossible. If you were a human then surely you would be grateful that we took your people out of ignorance. The average human lives well past two-hundred, because of our technology. Humans would have destroyed themselves had we not arrived in…what was that calendar year? Three-thousand and whatever. We built the Arc Red to replace the ozone layer. We gave them a higher purpose and made the universe safer.”

Stryker pulled out his blaster and pointed it at Lark’s head. “Are you feeling safer now?”

“Please don’t kill me.”

“What right do you have to tell us that we should be grateful? Huh? Your people separated me from my family! They could be alive, dead—brain ripped out and used to steer one of your damn ships! What makes you think that the universe is grateful to you when half of the universe wants your tyranny to end? What makes you so sure that we would have died out? How do you know that we would not have flourished and became something greater? If only you had left us the hell alone.”

Lark turned to Free. “Please, I don’t know what the humans did to you. But you walk, talk and make love like an android. Don’t forget who you are. Come back to us, love.”

“Stryker.”

Stryker turned up the power to the interface and Lark fell unconscious. “Man, what is it with you and gynoids?  Do they love you because you hate them?”

Free pulled a tag in his coat and it changed to a polymer body armor that covered all but his arms and his eyes. “Hell, if I care. Combat mode.”  Dark bronze arms turned to a gunmetal gold.

Stryker placed all of his equipment on the floor and initiated his body armor.  It covered all but his eyes, and had two built-in shoulder holsters. He spun the guns around his fingers and placed his guns in their holster. He placed the rest of his equipment in his utility belt. “We will have a fifteen minute security loop on this floor.”

Four red Vibraxian blades extended from the knuckles of Free’s right hand. “That’s plenty of time.” He held up his left hand, and a red, eye-like aperture formed in the palm of his hand.

The elevator dinged when they reached the floor of the pens. Free pressed the closed button. Stryker crossed his arms and rested his hands on the butt of his pistols. He looked down at Lark’s motionless body.

“All spine shots,” Free said. “We don’t kill civilians. Even the ones with wires in their heads.”

“Yeah.”

Free pressed the open button and as soon as the door was reasonably opened he darted through. Stryker followed, laying suppression fire as Free, cut, and stabbed with his right hand and fired near coherent laser blasts with his left hand.

Free was a swirling blur of indestructible blades and light as he cut through the Droids. One of the Droids broke free from the battle with Free and came directly to Stryker. No amount of shots put him down as he approached. He punched Stryker and sent him flying back to the elevator. Stryker set his blasters for full power and blew away the gut of the android—effectively cutting him in half.

The droid crawled forward, with only his arms as a motor. Stryker took aim at the creatures head. But four red blades severed the androids head. “Thanks,” Stryker said.

“Don’t mention it.” Another android swiped for Free’s head with a laser saber. Free ducked and Stryker shot the android creature in the neck, severing his head. “Thanks,” Free said.

“Some civilians,” Stryker said.

“They are soldier level,” Free said. “Beheading is the safest thing we can do.”

“And they will be operational by the end of the week.” Stryker stood up. “I swear.”

It took two minutes longer than Stryker anticipated to take out the security. That meant that he had eight minutes to assemble the EMP viral bomb, while Free, ripped the hinges off the pens, and cut a ten-meter hole in the floor. The hole led to a newly built tunnel, courtesy of Cecil tunnel makers. Stryker didn’t know if they were glad to be free or not, because Free told them anyone willing to stay behind would get their heads blown off. It seemed cruel. But if one human was left behind, they could betray the ones who wanted to be free.

Free appeared beside him. “Ready?”

“Ready. Once the bomb goes off, the magnetic pulse will knock them out for minute at best. The nanite payload will then give them all false memories. A repeat of yesterday. If they can experience Déjà vu, they will experience it for the rest of the day.”

“And her?”

“I already gave her false memories. All that happened up to your, love in an elevator moment, happened yesterday, with the exception that you gave her the Energell for a thirty percent discount. When she wakes up, she will take it home, with the intention of giving it to her boss during afterhours.”

Free nodded. “That should give us the time we need.” Free walked toward the elevator. Stryker set the bomb and ran. Free grabbed the panel and pressed the button for the ground level, two levels above the human pens.

The elevator didn’t move.

“Man, I thought I reattached that.” Stryker grabbed his pad and reconnected it to the exposed wires. The elevator moved. “We will get caught in the blast. It may interfere with your systems, but it shouldn’t harm either of us.”

“Better to be safe than sorry.” Free held out his left hand. Stryker stood close and a red bubble encompassed the both of them. The elevator and the lights loss power, simultaneously. A blue energy slowly crept up from the bottom of the elevator, climbed to the top and disappeared. Free released his energy bubble and pulled the elevator opened. They were only half-way to the ground floor. The two men climbed out and onto the above floor.

Stryker placed his pad away. “We are technology invisible for the next five minutes.”

“You want me to carry you?”

“Hmmm. Squishy human body, moving at nearly six-hundred kilometers per hour on a human shaped tank…. No, thank you,”

“You think you can get in a good mile in that time?” Free asked.

“Are you kidding? Give me another minute or two and I can give you two.”

End of Episode 3

You can buy my adult scifi novel Hearteless: A Journey to Second Earth@amazon or here. 

For email updates, please click HERE and feel free to leave a message.

Also, feel free to comment below and follow me on Google and Twitter @ Frank_D_Rogers

The Chronicles of Stryker & Free {Slipstream Dream Episode 1}

 
In the year 2304, sentient androids enslaved mankind, as well as many other humanoids throughout the galaxy. Over the centuries, pockets of resistance rose to oppose them. These are the chronicles of one such team, who even in the face of impossible odds, fight to free the galaxy.

Slipstream Dream Episode 2 of 4

“Damn, I hate this place,” Stryker said.

Free sat in in a metallic seat. His eyes slowly closed.

“Hey, don’t power down on me,” Stryker said.

“I was only going into standby mode.”

“Standby nothing. How can you relax here?”

“I am not. I am conserving energy.”

“Fine.” Stryker sat on a small mattress and reached for the remote. “Ah!” He dropped the remote and clutched his hand.

“This is an android’s pad. Not meant to be used by organics,” Free said. “Everything electronic gives off a small electric charge.”

“Okay, I get it. Life is kicking my rear for being human. What else is new?” He squeezed his hand. “Could you turn to the news?”

Free pressed a button on his armrest and the holo-feed came on.  

Stryker leaned back and placed his arms behind his head. As he expected, the news was only stating the greatness of the Droids. How they saved dying planet after dying planet and their most recent campaign—a race of one-eyed creatures in the Beta quadrant. No mention, of the thousands upon thousands of species they have wiped out. How they only allowed humans to live because their brains proved useful. Any sensible society would call it enslavement. The Droids called it liberation.

An electronic alert startled Stryker. Why the hell did he fall asleep? He jumped up; Free moved next to the door. Stryker moved behind the metal chair. “Come in,” Stryker said.

The door opened and a meter tall humanoid turtle dressed in a tan jump suit walked through the door. In a flash, Free grabbed the creature, lifted him off his feet with one arm and grabbed his head with the other. “Hello,” Free said. “My partner has a question to ask you.”

“Y—yes.”

“During dinner,” Stryker said. “What did the skinny king tell the fat queen?”

“Th—that she should eat more. Round looks good on her.”

Free dropped him.

Cecil sat on the floor, checking his neck as if he would still be alive if it was broken. “You guys are intense.”

“We can’t be too careful,” Stryker said.

Cecil turned around and faced Free. “My, by the moons of Rangoria, you are a big one. You would have given the Gator clan a hard time—even when you were a full human.”

“How do you know that I am not the cyborg?” Free asked.

“I am Cecil of the Turtle clan, intelligence specialist. When the Delta Resistance gave me this assignment, I learned all I could about you. And after your mission on Galen, you are very popular with the resistance and the Droid Empire.”   He turned to Stryker. “Stryker, the human who escaped earth by stowing away in a container for three months. I guess you used food tablets and hydrate pills. But to stow away in an eight-cubic feet box, how did you manage?”

“It’s no big deal.”

“And Free, a human that escaped during transference.  Rumor has it that you killed an entire crew of androids with your bare hands.”

“It’s not even important,” Free said. “Show us the schematics.”

“If you were such a tough human, why did you volunteer to become an omega-level cyborg?”

“Why do you have so many questions?” Free asked. “None of this has anything to do with our mission.”  

“I just want to know who I am working with,” Cecil said. “I have been doing this too long to get killed because I was careless.” He drew his arms into his shell and pulled out two laser blasters. “Talk.”

“If you know anything about us,” Free said. “You know that we can kill you before you fire the shot.”

“Yes,” he said. “But this way, if you are working for the Droids, I will be dead before I can betray my people.”

Stryker looked to Free and gestured for him to be more forthcoming. Free’s forehead wrinkled.

Stryker sighed. “I solved equations, word problems, theorems, and whatever came to mind. I even proved the Catarians’ theory of relativity. As long as my mind was busy working on a problem, I didn’t go insane.”

Cecil pulled his arm inside of his shell. His arm returned weaponless. Now he only had the one weapon pointed at Free.

Free shook his head and folded his arm. “It’s none of his business.”

“Come on, Free,” Stryker said. “What can it hurt?”

Free turned to Cecil and glared. “Yeah, I killed a small crew of androids. That day…I lost my left arm and right eye. But three weeks before that, I lost my wife, so losing more body parts was hardly a concern.”

Cecil put the final gun away. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what’s in your file. I knew that you had lost someone important, but I didn’t realize it was your wife. I am truly sorry.”

“The password should have been enough,” Free said.

“Yeah, I don’t care what your motives were,” Stryker said. “You don’t breed trust by pulling out a gun on your brothers-in-arms.”

“My people have lived under the thumb of the Droids even longer than your people have,” Cecil said. “I have fought this war longer than either of you, behind enemy lines, and I have been betrayed by my own more times than I care to think about.” He turned to Free. “I have lost friends, wives and children. So don’t treat me like I am just some cold-hearted bastard.”   

Free looked away. “Give us the schematics. Once we have completed the primary mission, you can leave this planet with us.”

“I am needed here,” Cecil said.

“Are you afraid to be free?” Free asked.

“We all can’t split tanks with our bare hands,” Cecil said. “I do what I can—where I can.”

“Guys,” Stryker said. He waved his hands as he stepped between them. “We can have this philosophical argument some other day. Right now we have a mission to complete.”

“Yes, of course.” Cecil reached into his shell.

Free turned his forward foot toward him.

“Don’t worry. It’s not what you think.” Cecil pulled out a round disk and tapped it with the thumb of his three-fingered hand. “Besides, wouldn’t you have felt a tingle in your head if I was sincerely trying to kill you?”

Free said nothing.

A blue holographic image—highlighted with a few red dots—of a building appeared. It was shaped like an hourglass. “I worked as a carpet cleaner for six months. Stashed the weapons you ordered on the entrance level right by the elevator and in the fake plants decorating the human pens. They are all disassembled to prevent detection.  I will be waiting in the tunnels below; if you can unlock the pens and guide them into the tunnels, I will take care of the rest.”

End of Episode 2

You can buy my adult scifi novel Hearteless: A Journey to Second Earth@amazon or here. 

For email updates, please click HERE and feel free to leave a message.

Also, feel free to comment below and follow me on Google and Twitter @ Frank_D_Rogers

The Chronicles of Free & Stryker {Slipstream Dream Episode 1}

In the year 2304, sentient androids enslaved mankind, as well as many other humanoids throughout the galaxy. Over the centuries, pockets of resistance rose to oppose them. These are the chronicles of one such team, who even in the face of impossible odds, fight to free the galaxy.

Slipstream Dream Episode 1 of 4

The snow gave the red sky a cream and strawberry scheme. He had heard many times that the sky was once a beautiful blue—completely changed by their arrival.

He rubbed his hand through his hair. Raven strands fell to the console.

 That was never a good sign.

He would need to check the shielding on the ship. Stryker stared at his image in the Mylar mirrored coffee can. His mother’s dark eyes stared back at him. His eyes scrolled upward. He would only keep his single s-curl for so long. He remembered that his father was a bald man.

He issued the request for landing. Once he received the all clear, he eased the ship through the first aperture. The ship hovered in the tube between the primary and secondary dome. When traffic cleared, the second aperture opened. The thrusters engaged and Stryker directed the ship to the designated landing pad. “Free? Are you awake?”

“Yes,” a bass voice said over the intercom. “Are you ready for this?”

“Always.”

Behind the cockpit, lay his friend in a glass tube filled with green liquid. The tube slowly drained. Inside the tube, Free’s eyes remained closed, his arms crossed. It was an uncomfortable sight, his squad mate in what amounted to a casket.

Stryker turned to the tube’s monitor. “You are fully charged. Your personal CPU is operating at one-hundred percent capacity. Heart rate at ten beats per minute. You are good to go.”

The glass tube lifted and Free stepped out. His black jump suit dried quickly in the stale air of the starship. The only part of him that remained wet was his brown textured hair that, even wet, kept its gravity-defying style. In some ways, it mirrored the shape of the tube that he resided in. “Let’s crack this city,” he said.

Thirty minutes later and they were at the main security checkpoint.  Stryker stared back at the Red Eagle. The reddish, rust-colored bird-shaped ship was their refuge from all of the craziness in the universe. He cut his eyes away and walked through the checkpoint first. A screen about ten feet above the checkpoint lit up a bright green light. “Registered, human male, age twenty-five to thirty-five," a computerized female voice said.

Stryker waited on the other side surrounded by human-shaped robots. Some with metal covering, others with synthetic flesh, like Free. “Android, fighter class chassis. Unusually high-density metal,” the voice said. Free stepped through and several automated guns pointed at him. “Please remain still for re-scanning.”

“Oh, my leg. Sir, my leg,” Stryker said. He tripped over his right foot and fell upon Free. “Sorry boss, but my leg has just given out on me.” Stryker’s voice increased in intensity as a crowd of Droids and a few Organics turned their attention to them. “Help me. Oh, help me, please!”

“Separate yourself from the android, human.”

“Hey, this is my human,” Free said. He lifted Stryker two feet off the ground by the collar of his jumpsuit. “Now hurry up and finish your scan. Can’t you see there are Droids waiting to be serviced? Or maybe your programming is faulty and you are malfunctioning?”

“You are cleared. Your human, however, has medical discrepancies. It has an unusually large heart and lung capacity.”

“Mind your business.” Free lowered Stryker. “How is your leg, human?”

“Boss, all of a sudden, my leg feels wonderful.”

“Good. Let’s go.” The two walked away from the checkpoint. “Good thinking back there,” he said moments later.

“Yeah, but in the future, maybe you should get an upgrade—a scrambler to hide your metal density and your heart. Those are two dead giveaways that you aren’t exactly a standard android.”

“I’ve told you. My body is techno-organic. So technically what I have, I was born with…well, reborn with.”

“Please, you can’t tell me that all of the scientist in the resistance can’t figure out a way to at least make your metal density and your heart undetectable.”

“I think I have given up enough of my humanity,” Free said. “Besides, I have you, to improvise when it hits the fan.”

“Yeah. Well, if I could be like you—I would. I just have a real problem with going through an excruciating fifteen hour Nano-surgery with a success rate of one.”

“I wouldn’t advise it. And honestly, you don’t need any enhancements. You are already a top tier agent.”

“Yeah, I am pretty special.”

“I don’t know anyone more special than you,” Free said. They came to a dark-haired android standing at a hover car with the word “Free” on the public indicator. “I guess that is us.” She was a service class android with pale skin nearly the color of a human cadaver. She wore the typical style of clothing for the Droid women. A little black dress, so short that if she bent over, she would moon the world. And matching boots that came up to her knees.  

“Welcome to Nu Tokyo, Japan,” she said.

“Please to meet you.” Free extended his hand. “My name is Free, captain of the Red Eagle.” He gestured. “This is Stryker.”

“You refer to your human by name?”

“Yes.”

She nodded. “My name is Lark. It is my pleasure to meet you, Captain Free. I will take you to your place of stay, as I understand it, your things are already on the way and I will provide reasonable accommodations for your human—”

“Stryker.”

“For Stryker. And then I will take you to Mr. Morg to sell your…product.”

 

The End of Episode 1

You can buy my adult scifi novel Hearteless: A Journey to Second Earth@amazon or here. 

For email updates, please click HERE and feel free to leave a message.

Also, feel free to comment below and follow me on Google and Twitter @ Frank_D_Rogers