Six Scifi Stories (15 page)

Referring to the Voicebox, Jalila carefully pronounced the Vox version of what al-Aziz had said. "
Vox ilu aya sensay mazeesh. al-Azizlo anzish u'i yayla oonlo sah sueta amisansu.
"

For an instant, there was silence as the regent, ministers, and onlookers absorbed what she had said. Then, all at once, the assembled Vox erupted into chaos.

The outcry was deafening. All around Jalila, Vox were chattering, clicking, smacking, whistling, screaming. They gestured wildly, signing so fast and emphatically that their hands were blurs. Even Ieria and her fellow leaders howled and flailed, diving from pillar to pillar in a frenzy.

The uproar swelled and cascaded in the vast chamber, echo building upon echo with growing force. There must have been at least a hundred Vox in the tower, and every single one of them cried out at once.

Except one. Nalo stood quietly nearby, calmly meeting Jalila's terrified gaze.

For some reason, her eyes fell to the Voicebox in her hands. Somehow, amid the tumult, it must have miraculously tuned in one voice among many, or many voices saying the same thing. Or maybe it was a malfunction.

One word flashed on the display, again and again.

Death.

Death.

Death.

*****

 

What happens next? Find out in
Universal Language
, now available!

*****

About the Author

 

Robert T. Jeschonek is an award-winning writer whose fiction, comics, essays, articles, and podcasts have been published around the world. DC Comics, Simon & Schuster, and DAW Books have published his work. Robert was nominated for the British Fantasy Award for his story, "Fear of Rain."  His young adult urban fantasy novel,
My Favorite Band Does Not Exist
, was named one of
Booklist
's Top Ten First Novels for Youth. Visit him online at www.thefictioneer.com.  You can also find him on Facebook and follow him as @TheFictioneer on Twitter.

 

*****

 

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Now on Sale
from Robert T. Jeschonek

A Young Adult Fantasy Novel That Really Rocks!

One of Booklist's Top Ten First Novels for Youth

Being trapped in a book can be a nightmare—just ask Idea Deity. He's convinced that he exists only in the pages of a novel written by a malevolent author . . . and that he will die in Chapter 64. Meanwhile, Reacher Mirage, lead singer of the secret rock band Youforia, can't figure out who's posting information about him and his band online that only
he
should know. Someone seems to be pulling the strings of both teens' lives . . . and they're not too happy about it. With Youforia about to be exposed in a national magazine and Chapter 64 bearing down like a speeding freight train, time is running out. Will Idea and Reacher be able to join forces and take control of their own lives before it's too late?

 

School of Rock
meets
Alice in Wonderland
in this fast-paced, completely unpredictable novel of alternate realities, time travel, and rock ‘n' roll. If your favorite band does not exist . . . do
you?

 

"Overall,
My Favorite Band Does Not Exist
is a wacky and enjoyable trip...full of intriguing, imaginative concepts that keep a reader hooked." –Thom Dunn,
The Daily Genoshan

 

"This first novel has all the look of a cult fave: baffling to many, an anthem for a few, and unlike anything else out there." –Ian Chipman,
Booklist
Starred Review

 

"
Chaos theory meets rock 'n' roll in adult author Jeschonek's ambitious, reality-bending YA debut." "...this proudly surreal piece of metafiction could develop a cult following
..."–
Publishers Weekly

 

"Reading this reminded me of authors like Terry Prachett and Neil Gaiman…" –
BiblioJunkies

Now Available
from
Graphia
Books!

 

Order now from your favorite bookselle
r.

*****

6 SCIFI STORIES

 

Copyright © 2012 by Robert T. Jeschonek

www.thefictioneer.com

 

Cover Art Copyright © 2012 by Ben Baldwin

www.benbaldwin.co.uk

and © 2012 by Alan F. Beck

 

Published in May 2012 by Pie Press by arrangement with the author. All rights reserved by the author.

 

"The Greatest Serial Killer in the Universe" originally appeared in
Postscripts
#12, PS Publishing, 2007.

 

"The Love Quest of Smidgen the Snack Cake" originally appeared in
Space and Time
108, 2009.

 

"Playing Doctor" and "My Cannibal Lover" originally appeared in
PS Showcase #3: Mad Scientist Meets Cannibal
, PS Publishing, 2008.

 

"Serial Killer vs. E-Merica" originally appeared as "Acirema the Rellik" in
Future Americas,
DAW Books, 2008.

 

"Zinzizinzizinzic" originally appeared in
Darker Matter #3,
2007.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

 

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