Al Norris

The easiest way that I know to do what you want is to just talk to the author privately. Some are open to suggestions, some are not.

I promised myself, I wasn't going to read this story anymore. See, I got really mad at the way you ended your second book. It's one thing to end a chapter with a cliffhanger, but ending the whole book that way? Then looking at when you posted the epilogue of Veil and when you posted the first chapter of Lucid... I mean, 4 years? Then, as I was finishing editing a chapter of another author's story, I realized that I was being such a hypocrite! This other author takes years between chapters (granted his chapters are now novel-length!!!), just as you seem to do. Pot, meet kettle! So here I am. Awaiting for the next chapter to see if Shay has jumped to the next location that Dagen had gone to. I agree that wrapping a planet around the Herald isn't gonna stop it. Trying the same with a star would just cause the star to go supernova. A Black Hole? Hmm, maybe not.

I'll agree! When I first read that, my mind substituted "out" for "put." Good catch!

If I understood this correctly, the Enemy comes from that space/plane that existed/still exists before the Big Bang. A state of being where all the laws of the universe, as we understand them, break down.

I bet you hate it when that happens! So, here I am at chapter 13 and now I know that @BarkingFrog's question is answered in 4 more chapters!!! Oy Veh!

Interesting tidbits of information woven into this particular chapter! So we are assuming that the riddle of quantum physics has been solved, such that special and general relativity have been resolved. We are also considering that String Theory has been proven. I will also assume that all strings (the multiverse) have led back to a primary line that the "Master" inhabits (although, this is a wrong interpretation of string theory, IMO).

I think this is true for more people than we care to admit. I firmly believe that it is our society that limits how we express ourselves.

Wonderful chapter! A pure and unfettered capitalism is every bit as bad as a pure Democracy.

Several other authors who write about Earth and its colonies use a dual calendar. That is, they keep track of Earth time but also adjust to the world time they live on or visit. It can be tricky, but it seems to work in several different authored universes.

A wonderful way to introduce quantum entanglement, among the other particle physics! Is it murder when you eliminate those who would use you and then eliminate you? Read up on the human experiments performed by the Nazis. You are a prisoner. Escape is your only concession. That people stood in your way is of no consequence. Having seen this type of thing, close-up and personal, I have no qualms with what Shay did. Vietnam was a nightmare, but it also taught me base human nature.

Where do you want that gold star? Hmm? Well, now the boys are gonna see just how much of a difference college life is.

Only if they are dropped on your head from a height of 100 feet!

I sure don't know what @WolfM has up his sleeve but the way the chapter was presented, it could be the end of this side story. I had to go back and make sure it didn't say, "THE END." Then I went back to the splash page to doubly make sure it still said, "In Process." And that shoe is a size 14 filled with concrete!!!

So I get to go from reading the epilogue to the sequel? Dang it! It might be a couple of days. Got a couple of jobs to get done for the website I run. sigh Carl epitomizes what it means to be a hero. While I hate that you have killed off almost everyone we got to like and feel for, I understand the reasons. Carl, at last, redeemed himself.

Shay has not had an easy time since he woke up! Oh, he has had some nice interludes but overall, it has been one battle after another.

An amazing chapter, @Stellar. The insertion of the cat... Loved the scene and the overall theme. Brilliant!

That 'thing' is a fully mutated alien. The Sharplings are humans that have been partially mutated... Well, as much as the nodes were programmed to do. All the clues have been out there. Fruition came with the alien showing up. And now we know where it all started!

Really? What would you do if Konstantin approached you with a needle full of supper Sparks? Hmm? At least, that's my best guess... Now on to the next chapter!

Well, I'm not dumb enough to blurt it out. But I will be honest when the reveal is made. Now, back to reading!

While some may have considered this a cliffie... It answers my question from the last chapter! So, I have been wondering about this control node as well as where the transforming virus originated. I have a guess.

I wonder when Shay will learn that giving can be as much fun as receiving.

I sorta envision Shay as being a nuclear power plant. Supplying power to not just Miri, but to any Sharplings near him. Miri, on the other hand, has a thread to Shay and leaches(?) power from him on demand.

Did we all like Mira? Were some folks over-invested in the character? Killing Mira was a logical move. Hartley had to have been briefed on the physical condition of Mira (as far as Le Renard knew). But to have him standing there, completely healthy presented a danger to Hartley and his men.

Too brutal? Not especially. I've found that action scenes are always easier to write. Are you talking about Mira? I can only imagine what those lambdas did to him. Hmm, try a knitting needle, inserted under the eye, and scrambling the frontal lobe before pushing deeper and scrambling the cerebral cortex. Doesn't leave blood when withdrawn.

Oh, goody! Another cliffie!!! These men are more than likely the same ones that Carlos was talking about. The cliffhanging detail is how and what they will do with the three they just captured.