Tag: Sci-fi

Wheelchair Wars 2 (iv)

“II iinstruucted theem too doo soo,” Oreus said matter-of-factly, and without any sense of regret.

Oreus drove in front of the two women, his two henchmen at either side.

“Staand doown.”

The two female warriors deactivated their weapons. “Why Oreus, I don’t understand.”

“Beecaause tooday yoouu foought aas a teeam.”

Then another voice spoke from behind them. It was Timothy. “He was testing the two of you. To see if you fight as a team. I told him I had no doubts, but he must have decided to test the two of you all the same.”

“Yees,” Oreus responded. He nodded for his men to remove the crying warrior from the floor. “Aand I haave noo reegrets. The Fiiaana aare aall that maatters.”

With that, he used his chin to control his battle chair and drove away.

Audrey felt a drop of sweat from her brow. The onlookers were wide-eyed now. She turned her battle chair and saw that the team was all there. Her eyes met Timothy, who gave her a little smile.

They were already all decked out in their armor and weapons.

Timothy spoke with intensity, a chainsaw affixed to his chair, “Okay, everybody, this is how we’re going to approach the next battle.

Wheelchair Wars 2 (iii)

Timothy would say they are slower. Take advantage of that. Separate them and take them off one by one.

“Come on, Jessica, let’s show them what we’ve got,” Audrey roared.

Those watching cheered.

Audrey activated her wheelchair toppling device and began a large arc around the arena. Jessica did likewise. Cian took the bait, charging after her. “I’m going to cut you up, bitch!”

Those in the centre were laughing with each other, oblivious to the danger they now faced.

Audrey now veered towards the centre. One of her opponent’s hadn`’t even moved. She careered into the back of his chair without slowing, flipping it to cries of pain.

Thrills of excitement flowed through her body.

Seconds later, more cries of pain. Jessica’s stabbing device had made contact.

All, apart from Cian, now retreated apart from his comrade, crying on the stone surface.

“Have you something else you wish to say, Cian?” Their two battlechairs were now approaching his. His clenched jaw and crimson face were replaced by wide eyes and pulled together eyebrows.

“Stoop thhiiss noow!” It was Oreus.

“He started this. We deserve our chance to finish it,” Jessica shouted out, full of invective. Audrey looked at her, nodding her approval.”

Distant Love (Part 67)

Derek felt queasy. He should have known that Diane would have been aware of his cousin. His cousin, Aoife, lives in Zone B. She is the only family he has, and she always makes a big effort to stay in touch. Her baby, Lucas, is just six months old. He recoils at the thought of something happening to them.

“You wouldn’t!” he snarls.

“You know I would.” She lets out a little laugh to herself.

Derek shakes his head. “How do I know where Maeve is going to be?”

“Already sent to you in an encrypted email. Time to show me what you got.” She stands up and walks out. There is still coffee left in her cup.

Derek goes to the robotic waiter and pays, before heading back to his apartment. The guns are all laid out as she stated. Derek feels his heart racing as he checks his incoming messages on the desktop,

There it is. Maeve will be at lift 12B in under one hour.

No time to waste. I have no option, and at least Maeve will be safe for now.

He lifted one of the guns up.

It’s time to fix some of these to the wheelchair. They’ll never know what hit them.

Wheelchair Wars 2 (ii)

The next morning, they rose early. No words were exchanged between them. Audrey was first in the wheelchair. She looked at her roommate, struggling to catch up, sweat dripping from her brow. The sound of chanting from the main hall was audible. Audrey’s mouth opened, but then closed again.

A few minutes later, Jessica was also ready.

“Ready?” Audrey asked.

Jessica nodded, but did not meet her eyes.

When they reached the main hall, their battle chairs were already waiting for them. Audrey felt elated. The others from their group were still to appear.

As Audrey transferred into the battlechair, she could hear jeering.

“You two, think you’re special, do ya?” As Audrey took control of the chair, she surveyed her surroundings. The comment came from Cian. His jaw was clenched, his face crimson. There were two more, on either side of him, of similar disposition.

They were in Falcon B chairs and armed with long swords.

Shouts of “Fight, fight” went out over the great hallway. The others stopped what they were doing, clearing the arena.

“We don’t want to fight,” Jessica implored.

Audrey’s hand was shaking. She thought of what Timothy would say.

The Falcon X was faster and more versatile. She knew what she needed to do.

Distant Love (Part 66)

“What do you mean where I come in?” Derek gasps in exasperation.

Diane fidgets, looking this way and that before staring right at him. “You are going to break her out. Then you’re going to be a good little spy, and tell me the family’s secrets.”

Derek’s eyes bulge. “What the..”

Her face contorts and turns crimson. She interrupts him. “Listen now. You’ll do exactly as I say. Otherwise, she will face her remaining years behind bars. And you, my friend will have a little, but fatal accident.”

“Wow, you really are such a bitch. Honestly what made you so?” Derek sighs.

For a few moments, there is silence apart from the robotic waiter moving from table to table in the distance.

“I have no choice do I? Not really?” Derek glared at her.

“No, you don’t. And look, we don’t have much time.”

Derek nodded for her to continue speaking.

“When you come back from your next shift, multiple T-35 guns will be left in your apartment. Attach them to your chair and automate as you see fit. I know about the advanced training you received, and that a relative left you a ship. Go wherever she wants and report back.”

Diane smiles. “And no funny business. I know about your cousin.”

“You wouldn’t!”

Wheelchairs Wars 2 (i)

The Emperor is the saviour of humanity – Sister Paletine

“So, what do you think of Timothy?” Jessica whispered from her bed. Audrey had found having a room all to herself strange, so had volunteered for a roommate. Jessica moved in at the last time cycle.

Audrey looked at the triangle in the semi lit room hanging from the ceiling. “I like the way he thinks deeply about battles, the strategies, different formations.”

Jessica giggled. “Not like that. Would you like to know.. you are about the same age.”

“Are you serious? Our lives hang in the balance?”

Honestly, where did I find her?

Jessica continued. Audrey had to stay stillstill to hear. “Well some of us think he’s fit. Daire can’t stop thinking about him.”

Audrey felt her stomach ache. Daire is beautiful.

“Time for sleep.” Audrey’s voice was loud, her tons stern.

“Alright, alright Audrey,. I was only asking. No need to go all fire and brimstone.”

“I didn’t. We have a big few time cycles in front of us, and we need to rest.”

Doesn’t she realise her life hangs in the balance? And that the men have women sent to their room anyway. And she really needs to concentrate on her skills.

Wheelchair Wars (iv)

Once placed on the battle chair, Audrey activated it by pressing the top of her joystick. The flipper swung up in front of her.

Oreus grinned. “Splendid, isn’t it. The finest engineering went into it to ensure the maximum lift. The rest will be open to you.”

Audrey nodded and went back out to the main hall. Where once there was boisterous chatter, now there was silence. She looked around as all eyes fell on her. Then there were gasps of awe.

A group of them then approached. A male voice was the first to speak, but she was unsure of whom. “How did ya get that?”

Audrey spoke with a big smile on her face. The whole was listening. “I’m to test it for Oreus. Who wants to battle?”

Wheelchair Wars (iii)

Oreus nodded to his men, and they lifted Audrey into one of the Falcon Xs. Her face blossomed into a smile.

“Go on, Audrey, have a spin around. You have her for your next battle.”

Audrey pressed the joystick forward. Her hair blew from the acceleration, and her eyes opened wide. She zipped around the chamber.

When she came close, Oreus, began to speak once more, “Halt, Audrey. You can practice with the others for the rest of the day, but first, I would like to discuss your next opponent. He has many kills to his name. But you now have the superior battle chair. I have a suggestion for the tactics you should use.”

Audrey nodded for him to continue.

“It’s a weapon that you have not used before – The flipper. You need to maneuver your chair so that it slips under one of his wheels, and then flip his battle chair onto its side. Then finish him, knowing that he has killed many Na Fianna.”

“It would be my honor, for both you and Na Fianna.”

Oreus grinned and instructed his men to affix the weapon to the battle chair. They retrieved it from one of the walls that was adorned with weapons and joined it to the front of the chair in seconds.

Distant Love (Part 65)

Derek’s muscles clench. He looks around the quaint coffee shop to make sure nobody is watching him. “What in the lunar happened. Like seriously, this couldn’t possibly have been part of the plan?”

For the first time, Derek sees that Diane is nervous. Her hands shake as she struggles to lift a coffee, her eyes averting his.

They had arranged to meet just over an hour ago. Maeve had been arrested hours earlier after the crash on the lunar surface.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. We didn’t think that the flare would damage the ship to that extent; it should have been retired decades ago, obviously.”

Derek’s face was becoming a deep red. “You could have killed them all.”

They both quieten as a robotic server passes.

Derek scratches his hand. “This is such a mess up. It really is. And what now? What happens to Maeve?”

For the first time, their eyes meet before Diane continues. “She is not being forthcoming, claiming that she knows nothing. Her mother will flinch to save her, but we need more.”

“Perhaps, she doesn’t know anything? Have your people thought of that?”

“Of course she does. Don’t be an idiot. I don’t think she’ll be forthcoming here, though. That’s where you come in.”

Jurassic World Rebirth: Stunning Visuals and Engaging Characters

My dear readers, I have something quite painful to admit. I’m old enough to remember seeing the original Jurassic World, way back in 1993. It was different from anything I’ve seen before, and the memory stayed with me. So, when I saw the latest Jurassic film was out, I immediately recorded it to watch today.

Jurassic World Rebirth is a 2025 American science fiction action film directed by Gareth Edwards and written by David Koepp. It is the fourth Jurassic World film, as well as the seventh installment overall in the Jurassic Park franchise. The film features Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Ed Skrein.

In Jurassic World Rebirth, the world’s de-extinct dinosaurs live around the equator, which provides the last viable climate for them to survive. The reasons given for this is modern diseases, needing a warm climate, and there being more oxygen to survive. All of which is pseudoscience, to create the world they want for the film. Any disease wiping them out would have to be across completely different species, very unlikely. There is not appreciable more oxygen at the equator, and even there, the temperature would be cooler than the Jurassic. But I digress.

A team travels to a former island research facility where three specific gigantic species of dinosaurs reside, to extract samples that are vital for a heart disease treatment. The team also rescues a shipwrecked family, and both groups struggle to survive after becoming stranded on the island.

Visually, the film is nothing short of spectacular. The cinematography captures both the majesty and terror of these prehistoric giants with stunning clarity. Lush landscapes, sweeping aerial shots, and intimate ground-level chases create a dynamic sense of scale. The dinosaurs themselves have never looked better — each creature is rendered with remarkable detail and personality. Whether it’s a tense standoff in a dense forest or a pulse-pounding urban pursuit, every action sequence is crafted with precision and restraint, making the danger feel real and immediate.

What truly elevates Jurassic World Rebirth above previous iterations is its character work. The ensemble cast delivers grounded, emotionally engaging performances that give weight to the spectacle. The protagonists feel layered and human, grappling with responsibility, fear, and hope in ways that resonate beyond the screen. Their arcs intertwine seamlessly with the film’s larger themes about scientific ambition, ecological balance, and second chances.

The cast is a major upgrade. Scarlett Johansson brings sharp intelligence and physicality to Zora, making her a compelling, resourceful lead who carries the action without ever feeling like a Pratt stand-in. Mahershala Ali as Duncan Kincaid provides gravitas and quiet strength—his chemistry with Johansson grounds the team dynamic beautifully. Jonathan Bailey (fresh off Wicked and Bridgerton) shines as paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis, injecting warmth, wit, and nerdy enthusiasm that reminds us why we fell in love with these stories in the first place. The supporting players, including Rupert Friend as a slick Big Pharma rep and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as a shipwrecked civilian dad, add layers of conflict and humanity without ever slowing the pace.

The film gets five stars out of five. Relive your childhood.