Al Norris

As sweet as the Birthday party was, I could strangle that mother of Ollie's! 🤬😠 Other than that, good chapter!

LOL! A good story is a good story!!!

In both chapters, the prose and the pacing were very well done. I developed a mental picture of two country gentlemen conversing as if this was just after the hostilities of WWI. I have to admit that I am now impatiently awaiting the next chapter.

Andy is impossibly naive! I'm just hoping that Andy isn't so good-looking that Mr. Black sees more $$$. If that's the case, there's nothing his father can do. The only thing that might save Andy is if he is a wide enough known figure, that selling him wouldn't be practical. In this case, they just kill him and feed him to the sharks. There are so many things that can go wrong with this setup! 🤯

I'm hooked, @Andr0gene. Very well-crafted opening chapter. I'll be waiting for more.

Just getting to know our two main characters and then you have a time jump? You intro Ed's sister and Dear Old Dad??? Cancer? Transplant? I think what I'm now feeling is... Whiplash!

I don't have the best of feelings for this.

And you didn't? I know I did! Good Chapter, Chris.

Obviously - Say Nothing!

@chris191070, this is the first story of yours that I'm reading. Nice setup. Looking forward to binging a few chapters! 😁

I think everyone, including our esteemed author, is looking at this "small" problem in the wrong light. Dad gives Dev $3K in hundred-dollar bills. Gramps and Pops each give Dev $500. Presumably in hundred-dollar bills. Folks, that is 40 paper bills! This is literally a big wad of cash. It is not something you can just shove in your pocket without it making a huge bulge. When I used to be an Assistant Manager for a local grocery store, I would have to bundle up the day's receipts for deposit. So I know how thick those bundles can be. Folded over, to stick it in your pocket... Of course, you are going to have to fold the bills over to fit in a pocket so that it is "hidden" from plain view, even if you take five bills to place in another pocket. Thirty-five folded bills are going to be almost an inch thick (and this is assuming the bills are uncirculated and not crinkled from use)! At the fold, it will be even thicker. Bill, you really should think this one over! Edited to add: There is an easy solution (wink, wink).

Hmm... Intriguing chapter, @Mark Ponyboy Peters! (well, what do you expect me to say? Huh?)

The questions I had about Francis and his Black Knight persona have been answered! Delightful story.

I am enjoying your short narratives.

Regardless, every version of Christianity that I'm aware of, follows various tenets of the Old Testament - the Hebrew texts. They condemn things and acts that the Christ never said a word against. I don't mean to argue religion. I'm just saying that Christians do not follow the Christ. What I will say is that organized religions, just like secular governments, are about control. No more, no less.

I withdraw my objections.

You cannot call yourself "Christian" if you follow the old text and not the philosophy of Jesus.

Yes. I understood all of that from previous chapters. But what you are saying here is that everyone who has the cloak and shield has an orb. I cannot see a Russian Czar handing out these precious things to individuals that might still die and the orb be confiscated by the enemy. Besides all of that, didn't we see that there were only (somewhere) about 2500 of these things? The first encounter by Eric and Jack in the cave, where the AI told them how many were available. Add to this that Eric (Eli) has complete admin control over them. He can simply order them to suspend operations until his next order. Eric does not need to order each orb to do this. The AIs are interconnected. Ordering one orders them all.

Oh, Hell! Now you've introduced some kind of personal shield. Where is all this power coming from? And all without modern electronics?

I can understand the cloaking ability of the ships. The power output of the orbs could account for that, along with the necessary equipment. But the miniaturization of such units without a power source and microelectronics... I don't see how individual cloaking devices could be made.

No, much more interesting. They are androids in the sense that they resemble a male human, yet have a male human response to their environment. The actual word (android) is a Koine Greek word meaning "like a man."

That's my thinking. Something will upset the applecart, I'm sure of it!

There is much speculation about Justin here. Allow me to put things into a timeline context, just to try and help out (I did this several years ago when I first read The Rip). Justin was 11 when he was first rescued. For 4 years after that, he and his family spent holidays at the caravan park. That puts Justin at 15. Scott doesn't see the Blacks for the next 4 years. The Blacks come back this year (the 5th year). That makes Justin 19, possibly going on 20. Since the Blacks didn't come back for Holiday 4 years ago, I had figured whatever happened, happened that first skipped year. So why are they back this year? Those were Justin's own words. So we know that Justin has been and is seeing a shrink. We know why - partially. It's not a stretch to say that someone who attempts to commit suicide needs professional help. At this point, trying to think of why Justin is still seeing a shrink after all this time, is useless speculation. We need more information. The only other thing(s) we know is that Scott is now 27 and has been running the Caravan Park for a couple or three years. Parents have retired up to the Gold Coast. Somewhere (you Aussies would know more than me).

Yes, when you consider sympathizers and other assorted spies.

It seems some of the questions I had in Chapter 21 have been answered.