And the Waltz Goes On
"Good show, Markus." "Thanks, Phil." The big liger who is the manager of the club clapped the powerfully muscular fox on his shoulder, his other forepaw indicating me. "This is Tristan; I told you about him." "Good to meet you, finally; thanks...
A Single Candle, Part 2
"That sounds as close to impossible as makes no odds." "You're friggin' well told." As a rule, Dr. Newton Augustus Gutenberg did not use such language. This was, he thought, an occasion to break any number of rules. His experience in Chase's quarters...
A Single Candle, Part 3
"Are you going to tell me now?" "What, and spoil dinner?" Newton offered a rueful smile as he looked over the happy ruins of the dinner that the two of them had shared in Chase's quarters. The coyote had done them proud, with his...
A Single Candle, Part 4
They ended up in Chase's quarters, for reasons of proximity to the lab, size of the room, and the availability of chilled bottled water. Newton had rarely felt more parched in all his life, and he was grateful to the coyote for reminding him not to...
Grayson's Triad (excerpt)
It was a pitched battle, well into the second half, and still scoreless. One of the opposing team's midfielders dribbled toward center, passing to a wingback as our sweeper came in to find an opening for himself. Some very good footwork...
Leaving Starhold
I woke slowly to a sweet, soft, hazy quiet. Sunday mornings have a particular quietness about them. Unless I'm on a case that can't wait (not many of those, contrary to television cop shows), my alarm is off, no church to go to, no friends for brunch....
Epilog -- Famous Last Words
That was more than two years ago now. Much has changed since then, and I thought that I should tell you what's happened. Darkstar informs me that this is called "breaking the fourth wall." That's a construct of narrative, he says. Truthfully, my...
Pillow Talk
"I have spoken with three of them," I said reading aloud, "Hausman, Farrow, and Yerkes - and I expect to see Kalmus tomorrow. They all profess belief in Blount's innocence, which is gratifying but not helpful. I not only profess it, I am committed to...
The Smell of Fresh-Mown Grass
His mind swam slowly upward through the mists of his sleep, not struggling either to wake up or go back to his dreams. In the moment, either would be pleasant enough. It was his nose that was helping him to return to the waking world, for there were...
The Laputan Factor 01
Quote: **TOP SECRET - "PERSEUS" (EYES ONLY)** **PERSONNEL:** O'Connell, Night. _Profile:_ Programming genius, project head - revolutionary VR technology. _Location:_Vacation resort, downtime reward for exceptional work. _Status:_ Recovering from...
Richard Cory
He always smelled of sex, whether his own or someone else's mixed with his own. I guess he couldn't help it, if I'm being honest - how many maned, long-furred, melanistic tigers are there in the world, much less one so perfectly lean and hard-muscled...
Escalation
Zachary flicked on the bedside light, shut off the alarm that would ring in another fifteen minutes anyway. He hadn't slept much, and it was almost time for him to meet Eoin for the morning jog. Maybe the run would help clear his head, blow out the...