Corporal Dia Zephyr assumed it was just another drill, no more than a Navy tradition, a rite of passage for the recruits. She expected a spacewalk, maybe a shooting game inside an asteroid field, skimming along the Collective's border before turning back to the Empire's space. After all, this was what they knew, what everyone expected. But that's not what happened. Highest ranks: [27 in #Science Fiction - 25 in #Horror 10-01-2018]

My name is Violet Mercer. When I was about 4, I watched my parents die. A few weeks later, I was branded and shipped off with a bunch of other kids to my new fate, to train and learn for 10 years until I was sold to someone else as a slave. Brutal beginning? Yeah. But it's the truth. See, here's the thing. A few years back--maybe a little under 50--we humans did something stupid. It was part of an experiment called G42 by some genetics company that was trying to speed up evolution. What did they do? Well, they altered specific genetic strands to see if they could create a sort of super-human. Their answer? Yes. But there was a flaw in their plan. These new 'evolved' humans, or 'evos', were everything they could have hoped for--strong, and fast, and smart. Practically immortal, too, so what was the problem? They were born without emotions. Maybe this doesn't sound too bad to you, but our emotions? They're what make us human. What happened next was kinda inevitable: the Evos took over. There are two strands of DNA--get one, and your set for life. Get the other, good luck living to see past your sweet sixteen. And if you are one of the crazy (or brave, depending on who you ask) people who dares to bring a child into this world, you could give them the best, longest life ever, or doom them to an early death after a suckish life. So, yeah. Our world is screwed up. And we can't go to G42 for a solution, because as soon as the Evos realized the possibilities, they slaughtered everyone who might know something and blew up the facility. Now, dear reader, are you beginning to understand the use of emotions? This is my story. I still don't know how it ends, whether it was all for better or worse. But you're here. So go ahead and read. Maybe we'll both learn a little something. Welcome to my life. I hope you survive in this new world. By Earthstone #567 in Teen Fic on 6/17/2016

Book 3 of the Burning series: the sequel to Dust and Ashes. The earth is no longer bound by the laws that once existed. Humanity is not contained to the desert domes as was once believed, but rather has begun to flourish throughout their broken earth. Diseases and desert monsters are among the least of the planet's worries: warfare waged in shadows, however, is another matter. They are all pawns. They are all players in this nasty little game that will never truly end. Look back on the mess you've made, darlings. This will be your legacy, if you let it. Will you let it?

All the earth is torn asunder. There used to be grass, and the sun used to be golden. Children played outside, climbing trees with smiles on their faces and grass stains on their knees. People worried about a million things that would soon be irrelevant, continuing without a clue of the disaster to come. Centuries later, what little is left of humanity survives in a society constructed beneath the surface of a glass dome, the world outside converted to little more than a desert wasteland. Survival is a routine rather than an effort, and all rules are surpassed by only one: if you want to survive, you never leave the dome. There's nothing alive out there. The radiation that soaks the earth makes sure of that. Until one day, someone finds a bloody, dust-covered handprint on the outside of the glass. Nothing will ever be the same again. Book 1 of the Burning Series Highest ranking: #13 in Adventure on 03/04/16

Book 2 in the Burning Series: the sequel to Dust. The world is changing. There used to be men, and there used to be monsters. The line between the two is blurred now. Long ago, the earth spun in a constant cycle. There was life. There was hope. It is no longer such. Humanity cowers beneath glass domes in the midst of the desert, afraid of radiation that no longer pollutes the air. But there are darker things hiding in the wilderness now. Wild things. Cursed things. Burning things. Yet, not all is lost. Ashes, ashes. We all fall down sometimes. But what happens when you can't stand again?

The story of Michael Thomas, a family man who worked for the U.S. army, and the experiments that were done on him. Shortly after after his return home from nearly six months as a captive of war, Michael is offered a top secret job that sounds too good to be true. When Michael refuses, he is dragged away from his family and tested on against his will, finding himself a prisoner once again, in a way he never imagined. __________ S.M.A.R.T The Subject of Mind Altering Research and Testing A psychological thriller. ________ Please vote & comment if you like. Thank you for taking the time to read my stuff. This is a work of fiction. All works © 2015 Richard Harley

How far would you go for a second chance? Humanity thought that meeting intelligent life would bring peace. They were wrong. Decades after first contact, Mankind is locked in a power struggle, not with our neighbors, but with ourselves. As nuclear war threatens to re-ignite in a nearby colony, Humanity looks to the best the galaxy has to offer. And the best aren't human. A pilot and his friend, trapped on a riot-stricken world, hold the information needed to strike decisively and end the war before it begins. He will stop at nothing to get them to safety, and she would give the world for a chance at redemption. But with governments trading secrets, assassins behind every corner, and war sinking its teeth into a struggling solar system, will the two operatives be able to make it home with their lives? And more importantly, their honor?

Leaving behind everything she's ever known, Emilee enters a world of high glamour and even higher stakes. The new freedom that comes with being a part of the Famoux is intoxicating, but behind the perfect image lies an ugly truth - being popular is a matter of life or death. ***** Out of the wreckage of environmental collapse, the country of Delicatum emerged. Its most popular celebrities are the Famoux, uniquely beautiful stars of a reality TV show called the Fishbowl. In a world still recovering from catastrophe, they provide a 24/7 distraction. Sixteen-year-old Emilee Laurence is obsessed with the Famoux - they provide a refuge from her troubled home life and the bullies at school. When she receives an unimaginable offer to become a member herself, she takes it. But soon she realizes that fame can be deadly... Content and trigger warning: This story depicts mental health issues and contains scenes of violence. [[word count: 350,000-400,000 words]]

Book 2 of The Famoux Trilogy! Updated every Friday for #FamouxFriday.