Careful Hearts: A Romantic Valentine’s Day Story

Reggie Fontaine isn’t exactly looking forward to his shift at the Suds ‘N Slice Pizza Parlor. That is until he meets Tori, who owns the tattoo parlor next door. What starts as a boring shift blossoms into something unexpected and magical, a night they’ll never forget. Of course, they’ll always have the matching snowflake tattoos to remember it by…This 6,500-word short story is 39 pages long.Lamont like many eighteen year olds living in 2057 Boston has a convertible podcar, a girlfriend, and three good buddies. Unlike his peers he lives in a Genetic Research center, has a genetic mental disorder, and can shoot lightning out of his blade-staff. Lamont’s secure world is turned upside down when Grid-One, a podcar traffic relay station is hit by terrorists known as the Hakim killing one of his mentors along with thousands in a nationwide tragedy. The team vows revenge and is sent on their first mission to recapture the relay station. In the resulting battle his team is decimated by an unknown sun weapon. He and the only other survivor, his shy friend Mark are thrown into further disarray as they learn of two other Superion teams like theirs were also developed by the secretive Foundation. Fearing that they may be targeted for extermination they escape to the lunar resort of Nuevo Vegas. They both find jobs and are mentored by Jerry Hornish and Edwin Edwards, but both of these men have their own secrets and ties to the Foundation. As other Superion team survivors show up a makeshift team is formed they are mere pawns in a plot by a rival Foundation faction trying to wrest control from the true leader Osiris, an immortal alien who is reincarnated upon death. Are the inexperienced team members ready to take on their battle-hardened renegade predecessors? Will young Osiris arrive in time to help them?