Story cover for Twenty Minus Fifteen Equals Five by harrikitteridge
Twenty Minus Fifteen Equals Five
  • WpView
    Reads 55
  • WpVote
    Votes 9
  • WpPart
    Parts 1
  • WpHistory
    Time 14m
  • WpView
    Reads 55
  • WpVote
    Votes 9
  • WpPart
    Parts 1
  • WpHistory
    Time 14m
Ongoing, First published Sep 27, 2017
This was my entry to the XPrize short story contest. Here's the story prompt:

Your flight has been mysteriously transported 20 years into the future. How could this happen? Wait, that's not important. Take a deep breath. Look around. Without a doubt, the world has changed. What new technologies and innovations have reshaped the way we live?

Your short story is a first-person account of the passenger seated in 14C aboard ANA Flight #008. What does this person experience as they arrive in 2037 and explore a changed world? How has emerging (or not-yet-invented) technology altered society for the better, and how does your character discover and interact with this technology?

We are hopeful for our future, and we ask that your story creatively weaves technology and culture, envisioning an optimistic and exciting future for mankind.

Everything I try to write turns into a love story (lol), so it's no surprise I didn't do well in a hard sci fi competition. I hope you enjoy my story more than the judges did!
All Rights Reserved
Sign up to add Twenty Minus Fifteen Equals Five to your library and receive updates
or
Content Guidelines
You may also like
Playlist for the Apocalypse by Lauryn_Low
42 parts Complete
In a world, where showing emotion is a dangerous weakness, love becomes the only beacon of hope. No one noticed exactly when people began to fall victim to the broken life of monotony, but by the time humanity realized that witnessing strong emotion triggered violence in the infected, it was too late. Evelyn Li is not a fan of risk. Confined to the safety of an underground bunker for the past two years, when Evie stumbles upon a radio broadcast hosted by a mysterious boy with a sharp tongue and an impressive record collection, she's inspired to embark on a mission fuelled by the belief that her family might still be out there (and definitely not because she's desperate to finally meet the boy whose voice has been her sole companion since the darkness descended). Jonathan Johnson is not an optimist and definitely not a romantic. He wasn't at all surprised when the world ended or even when the Soulless took over the streets. With the weight of rising tensions in the colonies, an absentee father, and heart-breaking tragedy resting on his shoulders, Jonathan would much rather escape into his record collection and secret radio broadcast than deal with the general bleakness of life in the apocalypse. As he is reluctantly roped into Evie's search for links to her past, Jonathan begins to wonder if he can ever truly escape his. Together, the unlikely pair must navigate the treacherous landscapes of both the unforgiving world around them and the complicated emotions within. Will their connection withstand the trials of a world consumed by darkness, or will it become just another casualty of the apocalypse?
A Breath of Ecstasy: Short Stories, Flash Fiction, and Other Goodies by laurel_coronet
15 parts Complete
Experience heart-pounding romance and suspense, odds-defying adventure, and deep emotion, all in the space of a few minutes with these short stories ranging from 300 - 2000 words. Including: THE DAY THE HUMA BIRD TOUCHED HER SHADOW: The Huma bird is an ancient mythological creature from Persia. Legend has it that the Huma contains both male and female halves, and that wherever its shadow falls it brings great joy and peace. But what happens when the world stops believing in the Huma? When half of it is torn away? When she remains alone--and one day falls to Earth, a human? THE DEEP LILAC SEA: Former Lieutenant Commander Lira Stavros served faithfully in the Queensguard--until the day she didn't. Now she's disgraced, demoted, and floating in the middle of a supposedly dead alien ocean for some much-needed rest time. But when a scientifically impossible storm rises, things get deadly fast. LOVE ON THE PLANET PEGGY: Aminah is a lonely government office worker stationed on Peggy. On a whim, she signs up for a pairing service that promises to find your "One True Match." Hers isn't in the system - until radiation hits the web and "OTMs" are popping up everywhere. Corim seems perfect, but when he and Aminah finally meet, a surprise is in store. BREAK OF DAY: As the spring equinox swings into being and the sun crests the horizon, two young women, separated by 2000 years and a vast cultural gulf, are drawn to the same stone circle in England. As the mist rises, boundaries blur and the lines between adult and child, ancient and modern, hope and despair, become muddied. Uncapitalized titles are 300 word one shots, and the title is the prompt that came from TypeTrigger.com. Capitalized entries are either my own imagination entirely or contest entries :)
Moebius 2157 | ONC2019 Short List [Complete] by taivaan_sininen
17 parts Complete
Special Agent Alyssa Caine has been tasked with the most important mission of her life: the assassination of the man who would bring about the end of the world. The only problem? He is already dead. A minor issue that is resolved in the year 2157 when a renegade group of scientists develops a device that allows to jump through time. They recruit the former special agent to send her back fifty years, to take just one man out of the equation, a minimal change with a predicted maximal effect on the fate of the world, and prevent a devastating war that has driven the last surviving humans to live in decrepit underground bunkers. Every action has a consequence. Alyssa is humanity's last hope, and her actions will determine the fate of the whole world. She is willing to sacrifice everything for a better future. But she soon realizes that the impact of her actions might be beyond her control, and beyond all predictions. _____ Highest Rankings: #16 in Science [06.02.2019] #36 in Dystopia [06.02.2019] #65 in FemaleProtagonist [01.02.2019] #71 in TimeTravel [06.02.2019] #1 in Paradox [28.02.2019] #1 in ONC2019 [01.02.2019] #3 in OpenNovellaContest2019 [28.02.2019] This is my entry for the ONC 2019! At first I thought I'd pick something a bit out of my comfort zone (so.... NOT SciFi for once...) to expand my horizon, but when I saw a prompt about time travel I was immediately inspired. Please keep in mind, all of this is WIP! The title, cover, and some of the content might change at any time... I have an outline and I worked hard to come up with a compelling and consistent story line, but due to the nature of the story (timey whimey stuff!) I might have to revise things a few times as I write. I'm grateful for any feedback and I hope you enjoy :)
The Carriers by JarrynPaige
30 parts Complete
Completed! #1 in government conspiracy as of 10/19/18 #6 in outbreak as of 10/10/18 #7 in corruption as of 8/12/18 #62 in apocalypse as of 8/7/18 #11 in government as of 8/9/18 The year is 2213. Everyone was evacuated from the home planet over 150 years ago. Our planet was dying, it was only a matter of time before our race was wiped out. We now live on a synthetic planet designed and built by our ancestors who came together from all parts of the globe to devise a plan to save us. We have lived peacefully for over a century.. Until now. Our lives were threatened when a mysterious and deadly virus broke out, killing entire communities at a time. The council says that they have a plan; they said that in order to prevent the death of more innocent people they will test every man, woman, and child for signs of the virus. Any person found to have been infected will be quarantined, the ones who die will be given a proper burial while the ones who survive are deemed carriers and are to be sent to the home planet to prevent further outbreak. I was prepared for the people I know and some I love being taken away for the greater good, but I never would have expected that among the list of people being taken from my community, that I would be one of them.. I survived the quarantine. Now for the survival of my planet I, and the other Carriers must be sent to the home planet. I'm going back to Earth. (This is not based on The 100 but there are similarities.) (Some violent themes, but other than that is entirely clean.) Please comment if you have any questions or concerns. This is a first draft so it is definitely not perfect yet.. Thank you! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Where'd you learn to do that?" I asked about the intricate knots that he had tied so swiftly. He paused. "Jail." I glared at him in shock at what had just come out of his mouth. "Seriously?" His straight face broke into a grin. "No. Boy Scouts."
Post Plague Kidnapping - Published! by vblawnola
8 parts Complete
It's been five years since the plague struck. Leah knows there are other survivors, but she's avoiding them. She is doing just fine on her own. Surviving after everyone she knew died has made her physically strong and honed her intelligence, but she is emotionally devastated. There is nothing to fear if you don't make yourself emotionally vulnerable. James has spent the last five years helping to build up a colony of survivors. He believes in the small town they have populated and its mission to save humanity from extinction. He and his small team of men find scattered people and bring them in. Over the last two centuries, women have fought for and won more and more rights, gaining equality with men. Society, law, and technology bolsters and enforces these rights, but now they are gone. Women's equality with men is over. There are just too few of them. They aren't lesser but greater, more important, more valuable than men. Men are expendable. Men can stay outside alone if they like, but all women must be brought inside the safety of the Colony and properly taken care of. James has been searching the area Leah lives in. Her time of solitude is up. Leah sparks something in James he's never felt before. He's not letting this one get away, certainly not twice. Warning: Contains sex, some violence, occasional foul language, and adult issues. Genre: Science Fiction, Romance, Post-apocalyptic, Dark romance Length: 84,468 words This book has been published on Amazon. The first ten chapters will be updated to what you get in the published novel and will remain here, so you can try before you buy.
(Mature) 𝚃𝚘 𝙱𝚎 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝙻𝚘𝚞𝚍𝚕𝚢 (mxm) by Bubblegum_NickNelson
25 parts Ongoing Mature
( MATURE READERS ONLY) He scoffed, "No idea what you're talking about..." I snickered and lifted my head up narrowing my eyes at him, "What do you want?" He grinned triumphantly, He was very light weight as he sat ontop of me. I restrained well though, as long as he didn't start moving a lot and sat in just one place, i was able to restrain. "I wanna give you a hickie" he said not looking at me and instead around the room. I looked at him , not expecting that. "That's what you want for your reward?" I asked surprised. He looked shocked and leaned in closer again, his head tilted as his lips weren't far from mine. "Why.. does that mean I can have something else?" he asked softly. . Indigo Jude (24) Every boyfriend Indigo has ever had, refuses to take him serious. Indigo has 2 months left on his timer. Micah Hartford (24) Micah is engaged to Seth, thank god. Micah has 10 months left on his timer. Lyric Flynn (24) Lyric doesn't even know what the hell he wants. Lyric has 3 months left on his timer. If you don't marry someone by 25, you have to die. You have up until the Last 24hrs of the last day before your 25th birthday , to find Your someone. And I mean your actual true love, by the way. The timer knows if you try to deceive it, And you will die. I've seen it before, it's not pretty. What's the timer? You get a self timer that's slapped on your wrist from the Second you are born. Making sure you remember. That you're accounted for. The only way to stop it? Find your person. Asap. Because once the timer runs out, you're gone. It's simple, really. . This timer is a twin to your soul mates timer. You're genetically matched based on the time of your birth. It's just on you to find the other. . . Can each find true love before the time is up? Or will they all die trying?
Earthonia Immortal Love by TGdonovan
42 parts Complete Mature
E28 held the entire world within his orange ethereal glowing hands. To most people, being twenty-four years old for all eternity, sounds like a pretty sweet deal. No elderly body aches, your sex drive remains on 100%, and you'll forever be in the prime of your life. Well, in their quest for scientific breakthroughs, our brilliant, overachieving ancestors unknowingly rewrote the entire genetic playbook for our bloodline-long before I was even conceived. By running experiments on themselves, they inadvertently spliced and hardcoded their DNA with something not even they fully understood. The result? Earl Williams the 28th. Born with a delightful grab bag of 5th-dimensional (5D) abilities, including, but not limited to, immortality. And I know what you're thinking. 'Wow! Immortality? That's incredible!' Well, let's see if you feel the same way after falling in love with your soulmate, watching them grow old and die, while you just keep on, existing. Turns out, eternal youth isn't all it's cracked up to be. In fact, it can be less of a gift, and more of a life sentence. Just after Earl's 400th birthday he discovered his 5th dimensional abilities could take him pretty far; literally. As in intergalactic travel. Over time he met other interdimensional beings. Such as Draco, a powerful 4D being who motioned for the ICU to immediately annihilate all of humanity, in order to give Earth time to rebuild its natural resources. Initially, the Intergalactic Chamber of the Universe granted Draco permission to follow through with his murderous plan. However, Earl stepped in and pleaded for humanity's relocation instead of their annihilation. You see Earl himself was earth born. Only as a teenager, did he discover his 5D abilities. He saw the progress humanity had been making. He knew they had learned from their past environmental failures. In his opinion, the people of Earth didn't have to die. All they needed was a new start on a different planet.
✔ ALUEDAA by 80PaperGirl08
37 parts Complete
#676 Science fiction on January 9th 2018 ~~~~~~~~ Sometimes, every now and then, a scientific experiment works. And, if it works, a small percentage of the time, the subjects are let loose, given a certain freedom they had never experienced. And that's what I had now. Freedom. After around ten years of making sure my neural system was intact, the metal surrounding me grew with my body and the batteries didn't poison my immune system, I was given the option of getting out of CARESS, also known as Centre of Adolescents in Rehab after the Effect of Scientific Surgery, and live a normal life. Well, as normal as it could get for a teenage girl with giant metal wings stuck behind her back. ~~~~~~~~ "You remind me of Maleficent... But with blue wings... And definitely more badass." "Who?" " You know, the girl that poisoned Sleeping beauty?" "I repeat. Who?" "We are so watching that. Now." ~~~~~~~~ A novel full of romance, hate, humour and a hint of drama mixing into one great big story of life changing events and thrilling moments. ~~~~~~~~ This is a complete story, except if you are viewing it in the first few months of 2018 due to the fact that I didn't want to post it all at the same time. If it is not complete, updates will be posted every Monday and Friday. Enjoy! ~~~~~~~~ I go throughout my errors before I post, but if you do see some, or think something could be said in a better way, I'm always open to suggestions! ***CONTAINS SWEARING***
The Altered. by _fiinch_
81 parts Complete Mature
guys please don't read this anymore lmao i write totally differently now💋 _________________ In a future where humans are genetically modified -- 'altered' -- at the age of sixteen, the world has been, until now, a safe place. Without changing a person's personality, undergoing the Alteration perfects their appearance, IQ, and even their immunity to diseases. No human passes the age of sixteen without being Altered. In the blink of an eye, things change. An ominous message is sent out to all of those below the age of sixteen, providing precise instructions that suggest they flee. Simultaneously, a deadly virus starts to spread all about the world, attacking only the Altered -- every human over the age of sixteen. The virus eats at the modified human brain, and soon the Unaltered begin to realise that the Altered are losing their minds. Home is no longer safe. Friends and family turn on one another, losing control of their own minds and bodies. The Unaltered aren't safe. Even if the virus isn't attacking them, the ones with the virus are. Set on a pristine, futuristic Earth, this is the apocalypse like you've never seen it before. (Rated mature for graphic depictions of violence and mild language.) Banner credit to @itsnothardtodreamx 1st Place winner in the 2020 Spring Awards! Runner up in the 2020 Harmony Awards! 2nd place in the Belle Amé Awards 2020! [This piece was originally for the Open Novella Contest 2020, but has now surpassed the length of a novella and is a novel.]
Escaping the Monster's Embrace (OLD BEING REWRITTEN ) by Mentally-Insane
36 parts Complete Mature
(Currently being rewritten under a new name The Claimed) Everything changed when they came out of hiding, terror spread across the world as people began to question if our presidents and our global leaders lied to us and weren't from the same race. The Beasts blended in amongst us as if we were the same, except humans didn't have the same predatory instincts and we couldn't change our forms like they could. Soon after we learnt that we weren't the only species people began going missing. Some were unlucky and taken as something that the Beasts called a Mate that one word made fear spread throughout my veins, I would rather sell my soul than have one of them mutts chain me to them. Six months went by before the government, that was un-tainted by this vile race began to take action into their own hands contacting other countries and militaries causing the great war to happen, sending both my parents off to fight for our rights. Only one of them came back, two months was the longest we lasted before we were overpowered by them. Six years of living in this dysfunctional environment and my hatred had never dwindled. Some people still believed in god and had faith in him, I didn't know what I believed in but I prayed like everyone else that I would get through another day without hearing the soul crushing word 'Mate'. DARK THEMES THROUGHOUT. UNEDITED © All rights reserved© #1 in hunt 19/06/2019 #1 in human 19/06/2019 #1 in sanity 19/012019 #3 in mate 19/06/2019 #4 in mates 19/06/2019 #5 in hunted 19/06/2019 #1 Post-apocalyptic 30/8/19 #8 in dystopian 7/10/19 #4 in Escape 24/10/19
Escaping Elysia by jessicarvasko
51 parts Complete
A dystopian young adult novel involving romance, secret experiments on human subjects, and a group of teenagers' will to survive. Reader Comments: "I'm gonna gush about your book real quick...all the technology has a purpose and is beautifully explained so I can picture it in my mind...the whole concept of the book is completely original...*moment of silence for your beautiful arch of character development* everything your characters do is strictly them but they develop enough to show more about themselves without you straight up telling the reader about them" -Vairl9023 "Ahh!!! This is so good!! I will be anxiously awaiting the next Chapter!!" -CrystalBagot "Brilliant...ohh, this is very catchy, good work" -IndeeMaynard "I love this so far" -BrianneMorris "You've done a great job at creating a mysterious mood" -poisonedpen *** All Evita Creedy, 17, wants is to finish her degree and be accepted for a prestigious job with the city's Department of Energy. On the way to take her placement test she sees a man take a gun out of his bag. Panicked, she reaches into her purse for her phone to call 911. Instead she takes out a gun. She doesn't know where it came from or how it got there, but when the man turns his gun on her she shoots him. It would be easy for Evita to forget about where the gun came from and let her life return to normal, but its mysterious appearance won't stop nagging at her. When Evita starts asking questions Evelyn Sheer, the head of the city's Department of Energy, takes her captive and places her in a secret, underground research facility. Evelyn Sheer and the researchers are trying to create a genetic modification that enables humans to photosynthesize. Once in the facility, Evita is tagged as a test subject and loses all say over what happens to her body. She has to escape. By the time she comes up with a plan there is only one problem. Evita isn't ready to leave.
L.O.V.E. by denissebloom04
30 parts Complete
100 years ago, amidst WW3's nuclear bombing, a deadly virus was released in the atmosphere and nearly wiping out the humanity. It lives inside the human brain thriving on the empathy receptors, leading to irrational behaviour and ultimately brain death. To slow the damage, scientists created L.O.V.E, short for Living Off Vital Emotions, a nanovaccine that numbs the virus and switches off all strong emotions. As a last resort and with a dying planet, the Supreme Government created the City, a place to contain the infected survivors suitable for the experiment. Those in the first stages of illness became ideal candidates to receive the neuroinhibitor. Having their feelings restrained and their memory altered, those who come of age are designated a life partner through a Selection process, thus preserving the humankind. A few decades after the trial had started, scientists had a major breakthrough. The nanites, which are highly chemically reactive organisms, are changing their bio-engineered purpose when dopamine levels are high. With a new generation of nanoids, stronger and smarter to fight the battle, the virus doesn't have a chance. Many attempts were made to create a man-made version of synthetic dopamine and each time the outcome was a disaster. Their goal is to create new generations, immune to the virus. These are called Purebloods, the offsprings of those who find pure love, the only cure to save them from a violent death. Running out of time, the Experiment entered in its final stages. To minimize the threats, the Colonies have sent their best soldiers to oversee the trial and protect its key subjects. If only things were going according to plan, or better...stay hidden. With Iron Guard, the resistance outside the walls, hunting the Purebloods too, will the trial save human race before it's too late? #3 in #dystopianfuture (27.06.2020)
You may also like
Slide 1 of 20
Playlist for the Apocalypse cover
Of Ice and Snow cover
A Breath of Ecstasy: Short Stories, Flash Fiction, and Other Goodies cover
Moebius 2157 | ONC2019 Short List [Complete] cover
FREELANCER. BOOK ONE  of the FREELANCER SERIES cover
The Flight To Death cover
Schematic Beauty cover
The Carriers cover
Post Plague Kidnapping - Published! cover
(Mature) 𝚃𝚘 𝙱𝚎 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝙻𝚘𝚞𝚍𝚕𝚢 (mxm) cover
Immune cover
Earthonia Immortal Love cover
✔ ALUEDAA cover
The Altered. cover
Dissonance - Book One cover
Escaping the Monster's Embrace (OLD BEING REWRITTEN ) cover
Escaping Elysia cover
The Hawaiian Special Forces cover
The End of the World and Other Signs of the End of the World - ONC 2021 cover
L.O.V.E. cover

Playlist for the Apocalypse

42 parts Complete

In a world, where showing emotion is a dangerous weakness, love becomes the only beacon of hope. No one noticed exactly when people began to fall victim to the broken life of monotony, but by the time humanity realized that witnessing strong emotion triggered violence in the infected, it was too late. Evelyn Li is not a fan of risk. Confined to the safety of an underground bunker for the past two years, when Evie stumbles upon a radio broadcast hosted by a mysterious boy with a sharp tongue and an impressive record collection, she's inspired to embark on a mission fuelled by the belief that her family might still be out there (and definitely not because she's desperate to finally meet the boy whose voice has been her sole companion since the darkness descended). Jonathan Johnson is not an optimist and definitely not a romantic. He wasn't at all surprised when the world ended or even when the Soulless took over the streets. With the weight of rising tensions in the colonies, an absentee father, and heart-breaking tragedy resting on his shoulders, Jonathan would much rather escape into his record collection and secret radio broadcast than deal with the general bleakness of life in the apocalypse. As he is reluctantly roped into Evie's search for links to her past, Jonathan begins to wonder if he can ever truly escape his. Together, the unlikely pair must navigate the treacherous landscapes of both the unforgiving world around them and the complicated emotions within. Will their connection withstand the trials of a world consumed by darkness, or will it become just another casualty of the apocalypse?