#AlternateTimelines

5 months ago

page 33 of “Dawn is Coming”
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5 months ago

Braxton and Ellen sat at the breakfast table, steam curling from their teacups. Ellen sipped delicately, her lips twitching into a smile that promised trouble. "You finally did it, didn't you?" she teased. Braxton set his teacup down carefully, sapphire eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?" "Oh, come on, Brax—it's me. Don't be coy. I can see it on your face. Something happened. Tell me about it." A blush rose hot to his cheeks. He lowered his gaze, words catching in his throat before tumbling out in a rush. "We made love last night... and it was beautiful." Ellen's grin widened. "I guess the dress worked, huh?" "Don't do that," Braxton said coolly, though the heat in his face betrayed him. "I'm serious." Before Ellen could needle him again, the professor appeared in the doorway, spectacles sliding down his nose, his worn dressing gown trailing behind him. "Good morning, you two. Did we sleep well?" "Always," Braxton murmured, lifting his tea. The professor jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Is he still asleep? Usually Theroz is up early." Ellen chuckled. Braxton fought to keep his voice steady. "He usually doesn't sleep much at all. He's been too busy trying to keep us alive with his gadgets..."

And other things too, apparently, Ellen thought, barely hiding her smirk. The professor poured himself coffee, shuffled to the table, and lowered himself into a chair. "Yes, well... I suppose you have some sort of secret you're discussing. I'll stay out of it." But he didn't. His gaze flicked toward the radio resting silently in the corner. "You've heard the broadcasts," he said after a moment, voice low. "Germany's shadow grows longer every day. Sudetenland yesterday, and tomorrow..." He shook his head. "We were right to get out when we did. But we mustn't let ourselves get comfortable. Not here. Not anywhere." The warm domestic spell faltered. Ellen set her teacup down more carefully this time. Braxton's blush cooled into something heavier, his thoughts shifting from his sister's teasing to the storm rolling across Europe. For a heartbeat, silence held the room, filled only by the autumn wind. The silence stretched, broken only by the autumn wind teasing the curtains. Footsteps creaked on the stairs. A moment later, Theroz appeared in the doorway, hair tousled, shirt half-buttoned, the faint smell of oil and smoke clinging to him. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks, though his eyes carried a spark of restless purpose.

"Ah," the professor said dryly, "our elusive inventor graces us at last." Theroz gave a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was working. Time slipped away." Ellen arched an eyebrow. "Working? Or brooding?" "Both, perhaps," he admitted, pulling out a chair. He leaned forward, lowering his voice as though the walls themselves might be listening. "But not without progress. The designs for the portable transmitter are nearly complete. Small enough to hide in a satchel, strong enough to send coded messages across state lines. If we need to coordinate with Einstein or the others, we won't be chained to a desk radio." The professor's brows rose. "You've already tested it?" Theroz's smile sharpened. "Last night. Picked up London. Interference was bad, but clear enough to hear the Prime Minister's address." Braxton's gaze lingered on him, proud and troubled all at once. "And if someone traces it back to us?" "Then," Theroz said simply, "they'll find themselves facing more surprises. I've been modifying the brace design, too He gestured vaguely toward Braxton's leg. "Lighter alloy, reinforced joints. If things turn dangerous, it won't just be for walking." Ellen's eyes widened. "You mean to make it a weapon?"

Theroz only gave a faint shrug, though his lips curved knowingly. "Best not to underestimate what can be hidden in plain sight." The professor folded his hands, thoughtful. "You see? This is what I mean. We cannot sit idly, hoping distance will protect us. Every shadow from Europe reaches farther by the day. We must be prepared." The room was quiet again, though no longer with the softness of domestic peace. This silence hummed with resolve, with the weight of choices yet to be made.

no hibernate.
how about hide or rest/sleep?
-Hibernate-Hide-Sleep-
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@roreadsrandomly.bsky.social

5 months ago

i’ll have some new art soon!
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6 months ago

Every Great Sitcom Has This Same Weird Episode YouTube video by T1J

You know Alt timeline books are always so much fun like Heads You Win by Jeffrey Archer and the Midnight Library. Please recommend if you know others. I would love to explore this sub-genre.
#booksky #writing #reading #alternatetimelines

youtu.be/eVMjY9yzOTc?...

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6 months ago

Border of West Virginia and Kentucky the mood was tense, the area surrounding the bunker they had exited was CLEAN. it had grass and trees and wildlife running around the area. It felt like home before all of the destruction. As Teddy and the PACE members exited the bunker, they started to walk around searching the area. "Hssst." Teddy whispered to the group surrounding him. "Careful now. We don't know what's out here or what we are about to face we should be ready for anything." Harlon cocked his gun. "Agreed. We can't be caught off guard." A rustle was heard through the trees ahead of them. Their hackles went up and they stood in silence, watching the sun had just set so it was beginning to get dark. "Hold it right there." The Voice came out from behind the trees. "I would suggest you not move any further strangers. unless you want your faces blown off." the man drawled in a Kentucky accent. "We mean you no harm." Eliana step forward, putting her hands up in defense." We're just making your way west looking for survivors." Teddy froze, hand hovering near his pistol but not drawing it. His voice was low, calm, steady. "We don't want trouble. Just a place to pass through. We're headed west." The Kentucky drawl came again, sharper this time.

Teddy and PACE were welcomed into the farm and proceeded into the large farm house. One of the children came up to Billie, turning his head sideways, curious at her appearance. "you got funny, looking hair, lady. I ain't never seen somebody like you before." Billie half smiled at the child who reached for the long strand of purple hair peeking out from under her head scarf. "Purple is my favorite color." she grinned at him. He smiled at her. "Me too." Eliana, watching from across the room, felt the tension in her chest loosen for the first time in weeks. Seeing children again - laughing, curious, unbroken - was a rare gift. The farmer's wife set out bowls of stew on the long wooden table, steam curling up in the lamplight. "Y'all sit, you must be tired. Food's not much, but it's hot." Teddy rested his rifle against the wall and gave her a nod of gratitude. "Ma'am, after the road we've had, this looks like a feast." Harlon slid into a chair, his rough voice softening as one of the farmer's younger kids toddled over to tug at his sleeve. "Well, hey there, little man. You help your folks around here?" The boy nodded shyly. Harlon ruffled his hair and looked up at the others. "Strong stock. They'll make it through this mess." Burke sat near the end of the table, his eyes scanning the corners of the farmhouse like a soldier who'd never stopped checking for exits. But when the farmer himself set down a jug of fresh milk, Burke allowed himself a small smile. "Haven't seen this in years," he murmured, pouring some into a tin cup. Janice, leaning against the hearth, studied the family quietly. For all her sharp wit, there was something in her eyes then — a flicker of envy, maybe, or longing. A home untouched, at least for now. Burke whispered to Harlon who sat next to him. "These children are clean. These people look healthy. They've never suffered at all. Their farm is a little rundown, but that's understandable given what's been going on the last few years.

more notes

-Scrub-Clean-
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from “Dawn is Coming”

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6 months ago

The structure loomed in the fading light — a sprawling white complex, its high picket fence warped and half-hidden beneath a tangle of weeds and unkempt hedges. Grandstands stretched like silent skeletons against the horizon, towers rising above them like watchful sentinels. The air carried the faint scent of damp earth and old wood. Silence pressed heavy, broken only by the rasp of cicadas in the brush. Tennant stopped short, his breath catching as he squeezed Janice's hand. His eyes widened, gleaming with recognition. "Guys... do you realize where we are?" The group halted, studying the weather-worn sprawl. Though vines and decay gnawed at the structures, the identity of the place shone through like a ghost of memory. Walter clapped his hands together, unable to contain himself. His laughter rang across the quiet fields. "Ohhh, I just love the ponies!" He bounced on his heels like a child seeing a carnival. "I've never been here, but I watched the Kentucky Derby every year. Never missed it."

Billie drifted toward a half-buried sign tangled in vines. She crouched, yanked at the stubborn weeds until the faded words revealed themselves. The group leaned in, hearts thudding. Welcome to Churchill Downs - Home of the Kentucky Derby A hush fell over the survivors. For a moment, even the cicadas seemed to pause. The P.A.C.E. members stood in awe of the iconic site, this monument to a world gone by. "Now if only we found some horses here too," Teddy said under his breath, though his eyes carried a glimmer of hope. "That would be helpful, since Jeanette went back to her base." "We may get lucky," Harlon offered, his voice steady. "This area isn't in turmoil like D.C." Gordy's lips curled into a grin. "Well, I guess my equestrian skills would finally come in handy." "Of course the rich boy would be first in horsemanship. Why am I not surprised?"

Along their journey the P.A.C.E. team finds something shocking and useful.
-Scrub-Weed-
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from “Dawn is Coming”

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6 months ago

The lantern light swayed, shadows lurching along the crumbling FEMA shelter walls. Teddy moved first, gun half-raised, Billie close behind him. The air was damp, thick with mildew — but beneath it was something worse. Something human. A rasp cut through the silence. "Help... me..." They froze. From the far corner, a figure dragged itself forward, skin gray and stretched thin over bone. Its voice cracked, splintered. "You promised us... promised!" Another voice joined in from the dark. Then another. Then another. "Cure us." "Doctor. Cure us." "Cure us. Cure us. Cure us—" The words layered over each other, too many voices at once. A chorus of the broken. Walter staggered back, shaking his head violently. "No. No... not here, not them—"

The Forsaken crawled and stumbled into the lantern's glow. A dozen at least, maybe more. Their bodies twisted in half-healed ways, their eyes wet with a misery that wasn't madness, not yet. One clutched a bent syringe like a prayer bead, whispering. "Save us." Another pressed clawed fingers against the chainlink that separated them, eyes burning with accusation. "You did this." The cries rose higher, a wall of pleading, of rage. "Cure us-cure us-cure us—" Billie's face went pale. "They're still people." Teddy's jaw clenched, weapon shaking in his grip. He couldn't fire. Not on this. Walter collapsed to his knees. His hands trembled as he reached out toward them, but couldn't touch. "Parker..." he choked. His voice broke into a sob. "Oh God... what have I done?"

The Forsaken pressed closer, their chorus swelling. "Cure us. Save us. Heal us. Please. PLEASE." Eliana stepped forward, voice shaking. "Stop —stop crowding them, you'll scare them—" But the cries didn't stop. They rose like a hymn in the ruins, relentless, drowning everything else. Finally, Walter screamed into the chaos, his voice raw: "ENOUGH!" The sound cracked through the cavern. The Forsaken recoiled, silence rushing in all at once. Their hollow eyes still bore into him, but their voices dropped to whispers, as if the scream had broken their prayer. Teddy steadied Walter by the shoulders, eyes darting to the others. ...We're not walking away from this."

P.A.C.E finds survivors, but are shocked at what they find
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from “Dawn is Coming”

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6 months ago

A seam of light cut across the rocks like a secret. Jeanette eased the lamp higher and brushed away another loose stone. Behind it, cool air breathed out of a narrow, man-made tunnel. "Bingo," she whispered. She hooked her portable radio to her belt, glanced back at Cinnamon. The mare stomped once at the dark. "It's okay, girl. Stay." A palm on the warm neck. One more pat. Then Jeanette pulled the scarf up over her nose and stepped inside. The tunnel sloped east. Faint, old markings scored the wall at shoulder height— triangles, arrows, dates scabbed over with dust. After fifty paces, she stopped, cupped the mic. "Blue Ridge Traveler to Bear. I've got a passage cut under the ridge— old work, stable enough. Markings look government. Copy?" A beat. Then Teddy's voice, warm and steady through static: "theAirUpBear copies. We're on foot, three clicks out of your vector. If you can flag the mouth, we'll meet you halfway. You're not alone in there." She smiled despite herself. "Wouldn't dream of it, Bear. I'll leave you a breadcrumb." She chalked a circle with a slash on stone, then backed out to Cinnamon and tied a red bandanna to a low branch, fluttering like a tongue. By the time she returned to the opening, shadowed shapes were moving inside the tunnel: lanterns, the whisper-clink of gear, the soft grunt of boots with weight behind them. Teddy emerged first, shouldering a rucksack, rifle slung low. Billie at his hip, purple hair tucked under a cap; Eliana with a medic's pack twice the size of hers

Harlon, Burke, Walker, Tennant... all of them loaded- guns, canvas, water, bandages —like they planned to walk a lifetime. "Traveler," Teddy said, offering his hand. "Bear." She took it, firm shake, then nodded to the others. "Welcome to my mountain." "Wish it were friendlier," Eliana said, eyes already cataloging the cuts and scrapes on Jeanette's knuckles. "You all right?" "I've been worse. Passage is tight, but the air's good enough." Jeanette tipped her head toward the dark. "There are markings. Federal, I think." Harlon's brow kicked up. "FEMA?" "Feels like it." She shifted her lamp. "There's something buzzing further in. Old generator, maybe." "On foot we move slow," Burke said, adjusting his pack. "But slow keeps you alive." "Then slow it is," Teddy said. "Rules stand. No heroics, no loud moves. If this is a shelter, we do not assume it's empty." They filed in, single line. The tunnel swallowed their light, swallowed their breath. Arrows stenciled in faded yellow led them through two right angles and a steep grate where the floor dropped away into a larger void. Ten feet below, the beam of Teddy's lantern caught chainlink and a sign buckling off rusted screws. FEMA AUXILIARY STAGING - DISTRICT 04 AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

Jeannette ventures further, while Teddy and the others adventure from the other side
-Adventure-
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from “Dawn is Coming”

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6 months ago

Colorado Springs City Town Hall "That's right. Now that we no longer have access to the internet or cell towers, we have to communicate the old school way." the director said with authority. the residents in the hall grimaced, many of them younger and not accustomed to life before social media, cellphones or the internet. the director nodded his head of salt and pepper, running his fingers through the tight brown ringlets. He read the faces of Millennials and Zoomers in the room. "Listen, I know this will be an awkward for you, but we have to adapt to our new environment. We got spoiled by technology and now we have to go back to the way things were when our parents and grandparents lived." the youngest of the group sat looking up at the elder middle aged man. She fiddled with the blank notebook on her lap. She raised her hand like she was in class. "Mister Jensen, what will we do now? Even my parents are used to technology and they aren't sure what to do either." Jensen walked over to the girl and crouched down to her level. he tried not to belittle her or sound condescending. "Your mom and dad had to adjust before." He looked at the young couple sitting on either side of her. "Remember Y2K?" the father bobbed his head, a slight smirk crossed his lips making his mustache twitch. "Yeah…it took months to straighten out that mess. Thankfully, we had a great team to work on it." Jensen nodded. "Unfortunately, those skills will not help us now. We need people who have survival skills, carpentry, masonry, farming, hunting and fishing..." "You just rattled off a list of everything my ancestors have been doing for centuries without the white mans interference." the indigenous man came forward, his long black hair bound in leather thongs. He belonged to the Ute tribe nearby. Jensen smiled at him and grabbed elbows with him. "Ouray my friend, you shall be a great help to us." "I know." Ouray chuckled. "my people have been teaching your people for a long time."

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from “Dawn is Coming”

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6 months ago

blue ridge mountains West virginia Jeanette moved cautiously through the tree-line, Cinnamon's ears flicking nervously as if the horse sensed something before she did. The afternoon light filtered pale and golden through the broken canopy, painting her platinum braid like a banner of sunlight. She crouched low, testing the wind, eyes sharp. Then came the sound — a heavy, deliberate thud against broken earth. Not the skitter of rats, not the shuffle of survivors. A rhythm. A predator. Out of the haze stepped a towering figure: broad-shouldered, hair shaved into a brutal black mohawk inked with jagged tattoos that climbed down her neck. Her arms bore black sleeves of bone and fang markings, each ring of ink carved with purpose, trophies of kills. At her side, the hulking silhouette of a beast padded forward — bull mastiff bulk, but stretched lean and wolf-like, its yellow eyes gleaming. When it snarled, Jeanette swore the ground itself shivered. Jeanette froze, hand resting just above her knife. Cinnamon stamped and snorted, but

she held the reins steady. The two women locked eyes: blue flame against obsidian void. "Pretty horse," the stranger growled, voice low and mocking. "Bet she tastes better than rat." Her hand flexed, scarred knuckles itching to reach for the axe strapped across her back. Jeanette's lips thinned. "She's not for you." Her voice was even, but the air between them crackled like flint against steel. The woman smirked, stepping closer. "Everyone's for me eventually. Flesh, bone, blood..." She snapped her fingers. The beast - Chomper - lunged a step forward, teeth bared, savoring the tension. Cinnamon shrieked and danced back, but Jeanette stood her ground, sunlight catching on the moisture in her braid like a crown of light. She gripped the reins tighter, her free hand brushing the edge of the knife at her hip. For a moment, the world stilled: two mirrors facing each other, one carved of water and resilience, the other of fire and ruin.

getting more notes together so i can continue with my dystopian drama. Here’s a preview
more soon!

-Recent-
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from “Dawn is Coming”

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#80s #ShadowLine #DoctorZero #AnimationArtist #CharacterDesigner #ThomasPerkins #AlternateTimelines #ComicsOfMyYouth

8 months ago

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#StarTrek #AwayTeam #Alien #FederationOfPlanets #Starfleet #AnimationArtist #CharacterDesigner #ThomasPerkins #AlternateTimelines #Spock

8 months ago

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#StarTrek #AwayTeam #Alien #FederationOfPlanets #Starfleet #AnimationArtist #CharacterDesigner #ThomasPerkins #AlternateTimelines #Spock

8 months ago

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#StarTrek #AwayTeam #Alien #FederationOfPlanets #Starfleet #AnimationArtist #CharacterDesigner #ThomasPerkins #AlternateTimelines #Spock

8 months ago

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#StarTrek #AwayTeam #Alien #FederationOfPlanets #Starfleet #AnimationArtist #CharacterDesigner #ThomasPerkins #AlternateTimelines #Spock

8 months ago

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#StarTrek #AwayTeam #Alien #FederationOfPlanets #Starfleet #AnimationArtist #CharacterDesigner #ThomasPerkins #AlternateTimelines #Spock

8 months ago

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#StarTrek #Captain #Alien #FederationOfPlanets #Starfleet #AnimationArtist #CharacterDesigner #ThomasPerkins #AlternateTimelines #Andorian #BridgeCrew

8 months ago

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8 months ago

BEWARE!!!

#StarTrek #AwayTeam #Alien #FederationOfPlanets #Starfleet #AnimationArtist #CharacterDesigner #ThomasPerkins #AlternateTimelines #andorian #tellarite

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8 months ago

BEWARE!!!

#StarTrek #AwayTeam #Alien #FederationOfPlanets #Starfleet #AnimationArtist #CharacterDesigner #ThomasPerkins #AlternateTimelines #Spock

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#StarTrek #AwayTeam #Alien #FederationOfPlanets #Starfleet #AnimationArtist #CharacterDesigner #ThomasPerkins #AlternateTimelines #Spock

8 months ago

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#StarTrek #AwayTeam #Alien #FederationOfPlanets #Starfleet #AnimationArtist #CharacterDesigner #ThomasPerkins #AlternateTimelines #Spock

8 months ago

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8 months ago

LOOK OUT!!!

#StarTrek #AwayTeam #Alien #FederationOfPlanets #Starfleet #AnimationArtist #CharacterDesigner #ThomasPerkins #AlternateTimelines #Spock

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#StarTrek #AwayTeam #Alien #FederationOfPlanets #Starfleet #AnimationArtist #CharacterDesigner #ThomasPerkins #AlternateTimelines #Spock

8 months ago

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9 months ago

the P.A.C.E. team makes their way to the compound where the prisoners are being held.

The road ahead…
this was the last segment I wrote before I hit a roadblock.

-Avenue-Road-
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from “Dawn is Coming”

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