Science fiction
Mythaxis Magazine, 2021
Starship sofa podcast, episode 683
Houston’s a mighty fine city. It’s a damn shame it’s getting nuked to dust in sixty minutes, courtesy of the alien rift shimmering over the shattered spines of broken skyscrapers. Two arcing pillars swirl purple and amber, easily a mile high, like lightning frozen in the sky. They’re growing fast. When they connect, they’ll open a passage for hordes of invading Kestezai alien scum.
A mandatory evac order went out two days ago. The cash-strapped military did what it could to take away Tier 1 citizens. Enter Ryft.io, a startup that swooped in like a vulture, sensing profit to be made. I’m a Ryftr, a gun-for-hire following the company from rift zone to rift zone, kicking alien ass and saving any rich Tier 1 citizens too stupid to get away early. Two weeks ago, it was Seattle. Once this place is gone, I’ll make my way to the next city and do it all again.
I realize my figure silhouetted by the rift would make for an epic photo, so I send my cam-drone up. I activate the LED symbols on my purple battlesuit—machine guns, puckered lips, alien skull and crossbones—and hold my X87 Exterminator bolt rifle across my shoulder in a classic Ryftr pose.
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