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LeatherQueen…Now did you say I had a fetish for the bizarre…or a bizarre fetish? Either way…I’m very glad you liked the last three. This next one is going to be a strange ride. Go up to the bar…order a triple mocha…and get cozy. Dekalog…Too many commercials? Well we all have to have our sponsors or we would never get our stuff on the air…right? By the way…do you want to sponsor me? Cookies and chocolate are welcome…but we currently need coffee in 1s and 5s (that’s pounds…ground…) Grimlock72…What??? You think I’m referring to any specific kind of candle? Maybe one with considerable flammage? Nope. Have no idea what you’re talking about. Not a clue. Barnabasvamp…Again about the rapid-fire commercials…sponsor me up with coffee and you will see the commercials virtually disappear…(okay…that’s a big fat lie…they are totally saving my butt so I can do other things like work and eat and roast marshmallows) Mollyig… Yes…I have a personal little spot in my heart for Tustin…He’s definitely not based on anyone I know…ANYONE…. ( …and Justin…if you’re reading this…just because you gargled milk in front of the fridge does not make the gross…disgusting….barbaric fiend…anything like YOU…scout’s honor…okay I’m not a scout…so I suppose my honor’s in question…sigh…It always is…) NewRuthRising… I bow if I amused you. I blush if I amazed you…and I weep copiously if I scared you. Unless the creaky old house scared you…which was kind the point (though it was meant to be more comically scary than creepy crawly scary… Either way…thank you for the words of encouragement. Tkheaven… extra thick….(snorffle) You should really suggest the key chain thing to your GF…that or a handy flip-down visor for the car… because sometimes commuting is boring and < >…holy gosh! There it is!…loads of fun…
Ange04…My brain has not been affected by the water, food, nor air. It actually a science project…constructed by a 7th Grade Gate student. I’m actually not a human being but a giant computer tower bleeping and sputtering…and solving global problems like war and famine…and the next episodic installments of Cataclysm Café and the Late Shift ( all at once because I can multi-task like no one’s business.)
jaycatt23...I'll see if the computer wants to work up a commercial...sounds fun!
And now.....
Channel 7: The Futopia Channel
Pilot Episode of: Fear the Light (previously titled RED RAVEN)
Premise: In the gritty and uncertain future where vampires are not the stuff of myths and legends…a band of unlikely heroes will find themselves pitted against an unfathomable force of evil…
Tuesday 11:35 P.M.
Rupert Thurman felt old.
Not because he was barely three weeks away from retirement, and woke up each morning with aches and pains that were steadily growing familiar to him… but because he was tired. Thurman was tired of scenes like this. Tired of never "getting used" to the grisly scenes like this one before him. Tired of having to wonder what kind of sick son of a bitch could find it in his heart to kill ANYONE, let alone a peach-faced girl with everything ahead of her, and not a care in the world.
Of course this one was far beyond caring now.
Thurman brushed his hands over the blazer he wore, and silently cursed himself for having given up smoking for the thousandth time this past four years. Since the murders began...or at least since they had really begun to pick up momentum.
Thurman stood over the pale and lifeless form of Gloria Merry. He tried to ignore the already milling crowd of onlookers on the street. He tried to concentrate on Karen, at the same time trying not to think about the vibrant life that had left her. The fact that no parent should ever have to hear that their daughter was found like this...pale, and thin, and tangled up in a bed of garbage in an alley not ten blocks from her own house.
Seventeen. The thought made Thurman ill...but he kept his face stoic and took a flashlight off of the nearest uniformed cop to shine it in the direction of the girl.
<>
The scene photographer had already begun popping off shots, and the light made him blink a few times. He beckoned over a younger detective, Taryn Mackenzie, with a barely perceptible motion. Taryn, a fresh-faced young woman in her early thirties, with slight features and piercing blue eyes, squatted down beside Thurman, hands on knees.
" You need something?" Taryn asked, trying to keep her expression void of emotion as she perused the body of the teen though it was obviously disturbing her.
"Have them bag and tag everything when the shots are done. I don't want a candy wrapper left in this place." Thurman said, trying to look at Taryn and acknowledge the dead girl at the same time. One thing Thurman never did was disrespect the dead.
Thurman did take a moment to look around him though. Taryn noticed the way his head suddenly came up, and he looked past her as though someone had called his name.
Almost on cue, the streetlights in the alley flickered precariously and then winked out…leaving them in a considerably more dusky lighting, save for the headlights of the cruisers parked in the alley entry.
When Taryn followed the larger man's gaze down the alley, she caught movement near the far wall of the blind alley. A lighter flickered… and the only thing Taryn could make out was the glint of the firelight reflected in twin lenses of a pair of sunglasses…and a glint of red hair.
Sunglasses at night.
Who in the hell wore sunglasses at night...in a dark alley that was supposed to be cleared of everyone right now?
The lighter clicked shut, and a small ember of a burning cigarette floated in the virtual darkness. Only the diffused lights of the police cruisers on the street glinted off the lenses now...the face still hanging precariously in the shadows.
" Sir..." Taryn said, starting to come to her feet. Thurman took his forearm to still her.
" I'll handle this. Stay here." He said in a gruff voice. He pushed himself to standing, and walked, in a manner that implied he was not in the least bit surprised or scared of their visitor.
Thurman was glad. So glad, in fact, that he resisted an outright grin as he walked down the dark alleyway and stopped a good three feet from the red head leaning casually against the wall of a potential crime scene.
“ That was nice…what with the lighter and all. Very mysterious.” Thurman said.
“ You like that? I think it adds a little something when I get on the scene…” She said.
“I do like the bit with the streetlights going out. That was classic.” He said.
“ Thank you. New gizmo I’m trying out.” She said proudly, holding up something that looked like a garage door opener.
" So…what took you so long, Sunshine?" Thurman asked, trying to keep the smile out of his voice. He could feel her looking at him from behind jet-black glasses.
" Sunshine... Sunshine... I told you not to call me that." She said, though the tone was more laced with humor than anything else.
" Well I thought I told you not to smoke, so you smoke, and I call you Sunshine...SUNSHINE..." He could make out the white flash of her smile. She didn't do it much, but when she did, it could be called something short of heart stopping. Winna Gunn was like part of his own heart, and when she smiled...It was like the miracle of resurrection in a flittering moment.
"You're just bitter. You should have never quit." She said bringing the cigarette towards her lips again. She stopped when she saw Thurman raise his hand and point to the offending stick, then to the ground.
" Winna..." Thurman spoke sternly. He watched Winna consider the tone of his voice, and then drop the cigarette to the alley floor and crush it under her boot.
" There. Happy?" There was the touch of insolence and exasperation in her tone that he expected from anyone that he considered his family. Let alone the woman he thought of like a daughter.
" No." He said, holding out his hand. He waited until Winna sighed and reached into her jacket pocket withdrawing her pack.
"You're just going to smoke them, right?" She asked him, slapping them into his palm.
" I AM going to throw them out." Thurman said.
(Of course he would have to confiscate a few for emergency situations.)
Winna watched him stuff them into his own blazer pocket, and raised a delicate brow at him. Without so much as a word, she could pull off a perfect sarcasm-tinged statement." I don't want to defile the crime scene." He said
He heard Winna chuff once in the darkness.
" I'll bet." She said, flashing him another one of her rare smiles.
" Where's the car?" Thurman asked. He hadn't seen it when he had pulled up on the scene a half-hour ago.
" I walked. It was such a nice night out...I thought, heck...a walk would do me good…"
" No really, How'd you know where to find me?" Thurman asked.
" I figured, 'hey wherever there is a decomposing Angelean... I will find Rupert Thurman.'"
"Scanner?"
" Scanner." Winna moved slightly to look beyond him. The young woman Thurman had been talking to a moment ago was standing now, and looking impatiently in their direction. It was obvious she had been ordered to stay where she was. It was also obvious to Winna as the woman shifted from one foot to the other in frustration that she wasn't the kind of cop who was happy about being left out of the loop. She knew the blond could not see her fully, so she observed her with the same unabashed curiosity that she did anyone new.
" Who's the pokey little puppy?" Winna asked. Thurman cast a glance over his shoulder and frowned slightly.
" Taryn Mackenzie. New dick on the job. No pun. They thought it would be penance for anything I’ve ever done wrong in my sorry life to train her. She’s a pain in the ass…but she’s quick, and she listens.”
“ You sound like you might give him the benefit of the doubt down the line.” Winna said.
“ Down the line I’ll be retired and won’t have to give a rat’s ass what she does.” Thurman groused.
“ The tough cop act doesn’t work on me.” Winna reminded him casually.
“ Well the slinky secret agent act doesn’t work for you.” He said…and in the same breath… “ So when are you coming to dinner? Miriam has had four boxes of candles sitting in a kitchen drawer, waiting for you to visit.”
“ Ooohh…the dreaded monthly guilting. Tell Miriam I’m sorry, and I’ll try to come by this weekend.”
“ Mir will love it.” Thurman said. And then they both slipped into a comfortable silence that stretched out. The sounds of the crowd, and the milling officers filtering down the alley around them.
“ So who’s our girl?” Winna asked, dropping into a serious tone.
“ Gloria Merry.”
“ The one who went missing from school two months ago.”
“ Yeah. She’s the same as the others. Multiple punctures…blood loss…the same MO. If you hear anything on the street about this, you’ll let me know, right?”
“ Right.” Winna said. Watching as Taryn Mackenzie stepped out of the way so the photographer could finish getting his shots. “ I’ll get my team cracking. They love to do the Scooby Doo thing. It’s like vacation time.”
“ I’ll stop by tomorrow night after work.” He said.
“ I’ll let Astrid know you’re coming.” She said looking past him. “ Bring your little friend. She’s… certainly not hard on the eyes.”
“ I work alone.” He said gruffly.
“ Yeah…that’s why you’re coming by tomorrow night.” Winna said as he headed back to the crime scene.
Wednesday 10:02 P.M.
Thurman threw his jacket into the passenger seat. He started to slide into the driver's seat when a hand came down on his forearm.
" Jesus!" He shouted, pulling back towards the car, trying to keep his composure even though his heart was going a mile a minute.
" I'm sorry I scared you." Taryn said. Thurman rubbed the spot over his heart.
" You shouldn't sneak up on people." He grunted, not looking directly at her.
" I'm not sneaking up you. I've been standing here the whole time. You just weren't looking." She said defiantly. He looked at her now, leaning casually against the side of his sedan, as though she had been standing there for hours. "Wow, for a man your size, you sure can jump." She was unsuccessfully trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
Thurman met her gaze. She reminded him of Willa...definitely not in the looks...physically they were like night and day...Taryn Mackenzie was fair, with light eyes and a womanly build. There was something about her stance, the way she carried herself with an ease that belied any inner turmoil, that he recognized in her. This was not a woman who gave in easily. No, he had the sinking feeling that Mackenzie would not throw in the towel.
" Yeah…you should see me dunk a basketball... It's like a damn miracle." Thurman growled. He watched her push away from the car.
" Detective Thurman...I’m concerned that you don’t trust me." Thurman sighed and shut the door of his car.
" Look...I trust you just fine kid…I’m just in a hurry here…"
" I just want you to know that I’m not naïve. I’m not a jackass…I don’t mind the errand girl routine…or the donut runs…or the dirty work…what I DO mind is TRUST. You don’t trust me.”
Thurman was immediately sorry. He had been pushing off a lot of the unwanted grunt work on the blond and she was finally calling him on it. He rubbed his hand over his short hair. It was getting too long for the summer months...he'd ask his wife to cut it down for him. He sighed, sounding like a great, weary bear. She was breaking him. He was starting to like this spunky little firecracker and he hated to admit she was growing on him.
She already knew she had him when he rubbed his hair like he was thinking about it. She had made it a mission to read most of his telling signs. She kept his gaze, and watched him struggle with the inner conflict of rules and regulations.
" I'm three weeks from retirement, Mackenzie. I’m going to tell you I don’t stick my neck out for ANYBODY…period... I don’t trust you with my life…but I’ll trust you enough to take you with me.
" Thank you, Detective." She said….then… “ Take me where?”
Thurman pushed open the passenger door and let her in. He drifted the car out of the lot. His dark eyes intent on the road ahead.
"To a friend’s… Don't thank me yet. You haven't met her. She’s a little bit of a pain in the ass…when she isn’t busy being a BIG pain in the ass. " He said.
" I thought you said she was a friend." Taryn said.
" She's more than that..." He said with more compassion than he had meant to. " But Willa has a mind of her own. She has her own agenda..." He smiled to himself.
People like me. I’ve grow on you...right?" Thurman laughed out loud this time. It was strange to hear the straight-laced man laugh so openly.
" Let me give you a tip. The last two things Willa needs are friends and money. Somewhere under what you'll soon see is a tough outer shell, there's a girl who will want to help us. You just have to learn to talk to THAT girl."
" Thanks for the tip." Taryn said.
" Don't say I didn't warn you." He muttered, steering the car towards Hollywood.
Hollywood 10:49 P.M.
" What are we doing here?" Taryn wondered aloud as Thurman drove the car up to the gates of the All-U-Store… and stopped beside the intercom box. Thurman held up his hand to quiet her and rolled down his window. He used a sausage-sized thumb to press the red call button on the panel.
“ Astrid…you better not be sleeping in there.” He said gruffly.
“ Thurman…Long time no hear…get in here you big lug!” Came a female voice over the intercom. The gate that led to the innards of the storage facility juttered open loudly. Thurman pulled the sedan in and drove without reservation to the booth about twenty yards in.
A tall blonde who nearly matched Thurman in height came out of the booth and around the car to lean in the window and deliver a hug and a peck on the cheek to the large man.
“ You don’t visit me often enough. What’s with THAT?” She said.
“ Tell that to your boss. She never invites me around anymore.” Thurman said with a return hug. Taryn watched this giant man’s visage soften as he talked with her. He was no longer Detective Thurman…he was a beloved friend. Astrid glanced across the seat at Taryn.
“ You bringing in stray women these days?” She asked.
“ Only off duty… Astrid Penniman, this is Taryn Mackenzie.” The two women shook hands. The woman’s hand swallowed Taryn’s.
“ Nice to meet you, Taryn. I hope Thurman hasn’t treated you too badly up to now…I know he’s kind of a jack ass…but we love him.”
“ Cute…So do I get the okay to go in?” Thurman said.
“ I guess…only if you promise to bring me flowers the next time you come. You never bring me flowers anymore. My feelings are starting to get a little hurt.” She winked across the seat at Taryn and stepped back away from the car…waving him past in an official way.
“ She seems…nice…” Taryn offered as he drove past her.
“ Yeah…nice in that ‘kill me in 72 different ways with her bare hands, and wouldn’t even break a sweat’… nice…. I’ve got to remember to bring her flowers next time…that’s no joke.”
“ Okay…so are you going to tell me what we’re doing in a All-U-Store?”
“ I’m taking you to see Willa…She’s my eyes on the street.”
“ She works here?” Taryn asked incredulously.
“ She LIVES here.” Thurman said. Pulling the car up to the front of a large storage unit door.
The unit door opened on its own accord, and Thurman brought his car inside behind a steel gray Chevy Malibu with tinted out windows. He shut off the lights and got out of the car. Taryn, not wanting to be left behind, followed suit and hurried to catch up to him as he walked in the dim interior to a door on the far side of the ‘garage’.
“ Rule number one. Don’t touch anything. Rule number two. Let me do all the talking.” Thurman waited until the unit door was completely down before opening the next door. “Rule Number three. Don’t ask about her eyes. And don’t turn on any lights ANY LIGHTS…not even a damn pen light in here…
Taryn would not have been able to say anything even if it hadn’t been in the “rules”. Her head craned from one side of the huge warehouse space to the other. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. Taryn was walking into something right out of a Lewis Carroll book…
Alice has crawled through the looking glass.
There were no windows. Nothing to allow any indication of the turning of day into night. The ceilings were high enough to house a catwalk that scoped the entire room like a great skeletal spine running its length. Below, in the center of the warehouse was what could loosely be called an office. Seven terminals were set up in a perfect circle. Three of them were currently in use. The steady clicking of keyboards indicated the users were intent on their job. Oddly, as Thurman and Taryn moved closer...the screens appeared to be black… but they tapped away as though there was something there.
This whole scene was caught under the ethereal-blue glow of false- twilight from the ceiling above. Just enough light to vaguely see the outer reaches of the workstation.
“ Hey Ryder…you linked to that guy in Kansas?” One of the men, a toe-headed guy in his twenties, asked from his terminal.
“ Yeah. He wants twenty units.” The woman called Ryder answered. She had her black hair braided and out of her face. She stopped typing to reach for a cup of coffee on her desk.
“ Tell Kansas you want to see the cash in the account first. The last time he took his sweet-ass time.”
“ Hey. Don’t you have a chivalrous bone in your body, Wade. Watch your language. I’m a lady, damn it.”
“ I have a chivalrous bone…you want to see it?” Wade smirked at his terminal.
“ You are so disgusting, Wade. I cry for your mother.” Ryder said.
“Don’t cry too hard…she’s in Boca Raton with her third husband right now.” Wade glanced over and caught a glance of Thurman. He sat up straighter. “ Hey! Big guy!!! Look at you! What are you doing here???”
“ Listening to you NOT doing your job.” Came a voice from the rafters. Everyone craned their necks up to look.
Winna Gunn leaned over the railing in the dark. Her red hair hung down, framing her face. Keeping her expression hidden.
“ Hi, Thurman…” She turned her head slightly. Behind the glasses it was impossible to see where she was looking…but Taryn had the feeling she was being perused.
“ You brought me a giftie?” She said with a wry smile.
“ I brought my partner here…yes…” He said up at her. “ Why don’t you come down here so I don’t break my neck.” She sighed and walked casually to the spiral stairs. As she came down to the lower floor, Taryn got her first look at the mysterious Winna Gunn.
Commercial…
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I am shamed by my laziness. Or maybe I should finally go get new glasses. 
Whichever the case YAY FOR CHICA!!! Break out the caffeine bribery and let me buckle my seat belt. Remote is at the ready. OK, I think I'm prepared for this latest chica ride. WHOO&HOO!!!! 
I'm not entirely clear on the gun Winna's carying, is that a flare gun or does she actually shoot at vamps with it ? Probably will be revealed on next week's episode 
I really can't wait to see what channel is next. Am I gonna need a helmet or anything?