The sale of this book without its cover….well, is, sort of, impossible since it really does not have a cover but let us go through the legal spray out anyways. If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that it was reported to the publisher as “unsold and destroyed.” Hands up to you who have books like this in your collection? Now that I have put my hand down we can continue with the credits and copyright and legal and stuff that people just do not ever pay attention to unless it is pumping their own horn.
An Original Publication of BLOODWASTE BOOKS
A Bloodwaste Books book published by
System*Publishing, a division of System*Productions
Melbourne, Florida
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead or living dead, is entirely and very much so in the coincidental.
Cover Photography/Digital Work by Brian C. Williams
Tin Universe Logo by Vinny Bove
Tin Universe Monthly #7
The Tin Universe…
In these stories, this universe, this world, this reality, this Earth upon which the stories of this bimonthly short story series take place are much like our own. Much like our own world but very different in a few noticeable ways. Different in the sort of ways brothers are different from each another and sisters are not. The way cats are different from one another but dogs are not…
Pulpy: Appearing during the years after World War II, the only superhuman who has been licensed by almost all United Nation countries to operate within their borders. A citizen of the United States and deputy of the United States government, this very powerful hero calls New York City his home when he is not saving the world.
He gained the trust of many world governments when he held off an alien invasion almost single-handily and was nearly killed fighting the alien threat (unknown to the general public he was saved by the now off planet hero Knight Book.)
The limit of his powers are unknown, as is where he came from, though most know he is alien to our world, the subject isn't approached, and many governments are tracking his every movement in an attempt to find out more about this very powerful weapon that is currently in the hands of the U.S. government.
Once a year the residents of Florida can obtain a free pass to Kennedy Space Center. Not many take advantage of this; which is a shame since a lot of people in the government want to cut funding for N.A.S.A.
Politicians are speaking down the lines that the governments own completely military branch of space services The Blazing should be the only space program to get any money. Many believe space exploration and study should only filter into the private sector after military has already been there and established a foothold.
Florida is as connected with the American space program as it is with oranges and bad drivers. There are other countries- Russia, Great Britain, Japan, who might have very active space programs but N.A.S.A. has always been the leader in the field and now the door is almost shut on that adventurous side of the American spirit.
Because one Gail Busiek is a nerd and her older sister Karen’s best friend Jeff has lived in Florida for years and for some reason he has never been to K.S.C. that’s their destination for the day.
Even if none of them have that much cash to waste on over priced food and drunk junk tourist crap they decided a trip to K.S.C. was much better than the alternative plan Gail and Karen’s parents had suggested for them for the day, a plan that involved them volunteering for a charitable carnival.
Now this group is all for helping out charities but they had gotten their fill a few weeks earlier when they got caught up in a rich mean girls plan to turn a women’s rights group into her own political mouth piece.
It also involved a man in a weird costume who thought he was Musketeer but you probably wouldn’t be interested in hearing about that.
Joining Karen, Jeff, and Gail on this trip is another friend of Karen’s named Fox. A Goth fashioned mystery with a lot unsaid about her past.
Karen and Fox spent their childhood together as best friends but after Fox had to leave for her teenage years for reasons explained in the book that’s available for Free- The Past Forward.
There might be a little spark developing between Fox and Jeff but standing side by side you couldn’t see any two different people in appearance. Where Fox is high-end creative Goth style, Jeff is more trucker caps and snarky t-shirts.
Karen is keeping a close eye on the situation not wanting anything to come between any of their friendships.
Gail is keeping a close eye also but more on her part because she thinks Fox is way too cool for Jeff.
And she thinks he’s pretty damn cool.
Maybe we will get to see a love match flare up on this visit to K.S.C. but whether that happens or not one fact is true whenever this group of young people sets out somewhere together, the days with them as a group are almost always interesting.
But to some interesting wasn’t on the want list for this day and to some this trip isn’t starting out so rosy.
‘STOP SAYING EXSPRESSO!’ Karen yelled at Jeff as they raced down the highway from Karen and Gail’s house with her at the wheel of her car.
‘She's always grouchy on trips. Especially on trips with Gail.’ Jeff
Gail got that dig too late to comment but gave Jeff a playful mean face he didn’t see.
‘Your brain should be banned from use. Talking with you is like talking with a dictionary written by a five year old kid.’ Karen
‘Does is feel fit to be such an intelligence snob?’ Jeff
‘I have one request on this trip.’ Karen was ignoring him and moving on to other directed hostilities, ‘Gail, please don’t go off spouting about what this is and that is in great detail. No one really cares that much. It’s a free pass to buy crap shit and hang out together.’
Gail slinks down in her backseat for a little sulking. Jeff tries to nudge her a bit in an attempt to try and make her feel better but it didn’t work. Her sister has been beyond normal bitchy with her of late.
It really isn’t her fault crazy things keep happening to her and thus also to those close to her. She tried to follow in her sister’s footsteps and join an activist group at their school but the next thing you know their facing an arsonist who called herself Live-Gar.
That wasn’t her fault.
In the passenger side seat while Karen is driving and ranting Fox is trying to tune in some good music on the radio, ‘I think you may be the only person left on the planet who has a tape player in her car.’
‘Doesn’t your truck have an 8 Track?’ Karen
‘I keep it for nostalgia.’ Fox
‘All I want from today is a boring day. Think we can find that?’ Karen
Jeff looked over to Gail and could see that comment hit home. It was true that the weird happenings of late were not of Gail’s creation but they were connected to her and Karen was blaming her younger sister for a lo
t of what had happen. This was very unfair but sisterly interactions are rarely close to being fair.
Suddenly Karen has to swerve out of the way to keep from hitting a tour bus and a group of chickens crossing the highway. Yes, I said a group of chickens. Maybe they were out for their own little trip of adventure for the day.
Everyone looks at Gail, including Karen who nearly runs her car head long into a tour bus while avoiding the chickens and peeking back to give her younger sister a look.
Everyone hopes this isn’t some sort of sign, everyone including Gail.
Pulling out of the K.S.C. Visitor Center and going past Karen’s mini was another tour bus but for the most part the day looked like the group might have much of K.S.C. to themselves.
Everyone was still giving Gail silent glances.
‘What? It’s not always my fault when something happens.’ Gail