By Thomas Koperwas
John stood up on the shattered ground of the battlefield and flipped open the visor of his body armour, exposing his intense blue eyes and red handlebar mustache to the dusty, smoky night air. Pointing tauntingly at the gaping hole in the side of the crumbling bunker fifty feet ahead of him, he shouted, "You better clear out while you still can, Mobley. You won't be able to stop me tonight!"
"Just try it!" came a defiant voice from inside the heavily reinforced structure. Mobley tucked his purple beret down tight over his long hair and tightened his bandolier, then leaned back against the inside wall, steeling himself for the upcoming assault.
John lowered his visor and barked a command into the tiny mic in his metallic glove. In a flash, a deafening rocket salvo flew over his head, pounding the fortification. Running madly through the billowing cloud of dust, he leapt against its scarred wall, peering cautiously into the gaping hole widened by the terrific blast.
"I made it to the wall, Mobley!" he cried triumphantly. "When I get into your vaunted sanctum, try to remember the ancient maxim that it's better to attack than to receive."
"So you finally made it to the wall!" shouted Mobley. "Now you try to remember that it took 200 assaults to get there. That fact clearly confirms the dictum that defense is the best form of attack, not offense, my friend. Now here's a little something for all your effort!" Mobley giggled and tossed a handful of lethal explosives out of the hole.
John immediately curled up against the wall like a metal turtle, the thick defensive armour on his back facing outward. The ensuing blast pinned him violently against its pitted surface.
"I just love trying to kill you!" Mobley howled wildly, laughing like a schoolboy.
Regaining consciousness moments later, John saw the dim light illuminating the remains of the bunker. Rising weakly to his feet, he walked slowly back across the battlefield.
At that same moment, the pale rays of dawn lit up Mobley's face. Stepping out onto the battlefield, he headed in the opposite direction.
Passing through a misty vale, John approached the twelve-inch-high booth emblazoned with the words Dream Engineering. Stepping up onto its smooth platform, he waited patiently for the electronic hood to drop down onto his head. Soon his eyes were glowing with renewed energy.
When Mobley reached his end of the battlefield, he came to a Dream Engineering data-collection and recharging station of his own. Stepping up onto the platform, the electronic hood dropped down over his ten-inch figure. His eyes immediately began to glow.
***
John woke up and rubbed his sleepy blue eyes. Looking down at the tiny replica of himself standing in the Dream Engineering station next to his bed, he smiled.
Suddenly, the wall of his house blurred, and he looked into the interior of a distant home where a slim young man stood before a mirror, brushing his long hair.
"I made it to the wall last night!" cried John triumphantly, twirling his red handlebar mustache between his fingers.
"You mean your night toy made it," said Mobley, putting the hairbrush down next to the ten-inch figure standing in the Dream Engineering station on the dresser, sporting a purple beret and bandolier, "But it took 200 nights and 200 artificially induced dreams to do it, pal."
"Just wait till tonight," said John, getting out of his bed.
"I know. I know..." interjected Mobley. "You think your night toy is finally going to take my stronghold. You're dreaming, pal."
"I will be when I take your bunker," chuckled John. "See you in REM."
Mobley smiled, and laughed wildly like a schoolboy. "I just love trying to kill you..."
About the Author
Thomas Koperwas is a retired teacher living in Windsor, Ontario, Canada who writes short stories of horror, crime, fantasy, and science fiction.
His story Vacation won a Freedom Fiction Journal Top Crime Editor's Choice Award 2024.
His work has appeared, or is forthcoming in: Anotherealm; Jakob’s Horror Box; Literally Stories; The Literary Hatchet; Literary Veganism; Bright Flash Literary Review; Bombfire; Pulp Modern Flash; Savage Planets; Dark Fire Fiction; The Sirens Call; Yellow Mama Webzine; 96th of October; Underside Stories; Danse Macabre; A Thin Slice Of Anxiety; Androids and Dragons; Chewers & Masticadores; Masticadores Canada; The Piker Press; Stupefying Stories Showcase; Metastellar; The Yard: Crime Blog; Blood Moon Rising Magazine; Corner Bar Magazine; Free Bundle Magazine; The Chamber Magazine; Suburban Witchcraft Magazine; Black Petals Magazine; Pulp Lit Mag; Down In The Dirt Magazine; The Freak! Magazine; Freedom Fiction Journal; We Make The Village: An Anthology Of Community; We All Scream For Halloween Anthology; Kaidankai:Ghost And Supernatural Stories; Blood + Honey; Once Upon A Crocodile; Exquisite Death; Calliope On The Web; AntipodeanSF; AntiSF Radio Show; 2NVR Nambucca Valley Radio.
Tara Campbell is an award-winning writer, teacher, Kimbilio Fellow, fiction co-editor at Barrelhouse, and graduate of American University's MFA in Creative Writing.
Tim Borella is an Australian author, mainly of short speculative fiction published in anthologies, online and in podcasts.
Geraldine Borella writes fiction for children, young adults and adults. Her work has been published by Deadset Press, IFWG Publishing, Wombat Books/Rhiza Edge, AHWA/Midnight Echo, Antipodean SF, Shacklebound Books, Black Ink Fiction, Paramour Ink Fiction, House of Loki and Raven & Drake
Ed lives with his wife plus a magical assortment of native animals in tropical North Queensland.
My time at Nambucca Valley Community Radio began back in 2016 after moving into the area from Sydney.
Merri Andrew writes poetry and short fiction, some of which has appeared in Cordite, Be:longing, Baby Teeth and Islet, among other places.
Mark is an astrophysicist and space scientist who worked on the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn. Following this he worked in computer consultancy, engineering, and high energy research (with a stint at the JET Fusion Torus).
Alistair Lloyd is a Melbourne based writer and narrator who has been consuming good quality science fiction and fantasy most of his life.
Sarah Jane Justice is an Adelaide-based fiction writer, poet, musician and spoken word artist.
Emma Louise Gill (she/her) is a British-Australian spec fic writer and consumer of vast amounts of coffee. Brought up on a diet of English lit, she rebelled and now spends her time writing explosive space opera and other fantastical things in
Barry Yedvobnick is a recently retired Biology Professor. He performed molecular biology and genetic research, and taught, at Emory University in Atlanta for 34 years. He is new to fiction writing, and enjoys taking real science a step or two beyond its known boundaries in his
Tom Wrosch is a retired policy analyst with the State of Oregon, and resides with his wife in Salem.
Brian Biswas lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.