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    Even More Things I Could Get Out of My Mind
    Even More Things I Could Get Out of My Mind
    Even More Things I Could Get Out of My Mind
    Ebook99 pages1 hour

    Even More Things I Could Get Out of My Mind

    By William Mangieri

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    About this ebook

    Another collection of six short speculative fictions by William Mangieri, in which we learn some life lessons:
    - People you let in your mind can rub off on you.
    - What to do once they’re in there.
    - Your parents can embarrass you, too.
    - You can’t escape your past,
    - Or your parents.
    - Go where the jobs are.

    Includes the short stories:

    In Robert’s Memory
    It happens to us all – one day we discover we’re not as perfect as we thought we were, and we have to learn to function with that fact. An interplanetary tourist ship runs into it's own version of an iceberg; it's up to R0B3rt to ensure its passengers’ survival. Careful - you spend enough time around people and they’re bound to rub off on you.

    My Reality Show
    The voices may be in your head, but that doesn’t mean they’re not real... Convinced that there’s something else going on in there, a man decides to lay down the rules of engagement for his own First Contact.

    The Body
    A long-suffering, social-climbing son deals with more than the usual embarrassment of misbehaving parents, hoping to find acceptability in the certainty of their demise. If some things would just stay buried...

    Choosing the Right Time
    Who hasn't thought about how different their life would be, if only they had made this choice instead of that one? If there was a way to start over - if this one thing over here hadn't happened? If only...? A young man finds out that no matter how amazing a technology can be, there are no simple fixes.

    The Sheila Wulf Chitinoid Sessions
    Fresh from the University, Sheila Wulf thinks she's made her mark when she discovers an alien species, but her fifteen minutes of xenopological fame seems to be wasted on a tribe of uncooperative crabs. Could anything be worse? Try working for her.

    Thank You for Your Interest in XenCorp
    In this perpetual economic down-turn, who in their right mind would restrict their job search pool to local employers only? Broaden your possibilities. Some companies only off-shore – consider off-worlding!
    (stories also available individually)

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWilliam Mangieri
    Release dateMar 15, 2014
    ISBN9781311144027
    Even More Things I Could Get Out of My Mind
    Author

    William Mangieri

    William Mangieri is a karaoke junkie, former theater student, and recovered wargamer who spends as much time wondering "what if?" as "why not?". He writes from Texas, where he and his family live at the mercy of the ghost of a nine-pound westie.William writes mostly speculative fiction (that’s science fiction, fantasy and horror), although he also has a detective series with a soft sci-fi element (Detective Jimmy Delaney.) He completed writing his first novel (Swordsmaster) in 2019; prior to this, he has honed his skills on short fiction. He has been published in Daily Science Fiction and The Anarchist, and six of his stories have earned Honorable Mentions in the Writers of the Future contest.

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      Book preview

      Even More Things I Could Get Out of My Mind - William Mangieri

      Even More Things I Could Get

      Out of My Mind

      A collection of short speculative fictions

      by William Mangieri

      Copyright 2014 by William Mangieri

      Smashwords Edition

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Stories contained in this collection are copyrighted by the author:

      In Robert’s Memory, The Body: Copyright 2012

      My Reality Show, Choosing the Right Time, The Sheila Wulf Chitinoid Sessions, Thank You for Your Interest in XenCorp: Copyright 2013

      Table of Contents

      In Robert’s Memory

      My Reality Show

      The Body

      Choosing the Right Time

      The Sheila Wulf Chitinoid Sessions

      Thank You for Your Interest in XenCorp

      Origins

      About the Author

      In Robert’s Memory

      PASS-1

      Professor?

      R0B3rt whispered into the mists of Professor Ingram’s subconscious, and monitored the cryo-capsule’s sensors for evidence of distress. All readings remained minimal, well within acceptable parameters. There was a slight increase in brain activity.

      Professor Ingram?

      Professor Ingram’s response was a short What? that echoed through the mist.

      Could you examine something, Professor?

      R0B3rt had chosen these words carefully, to fit Professor Ingram’s comfort paradigm. The passengers needed be brought out of their deep cryo-state gradually.

      What...Who are you?

      This is the ship’s computer, Professor Ingram.

      Ship’s computer? Where am I?

      "In a cryo-capsule on The Orion Princess, Professor Ingram."

      Of course, Professor Ingram said, but where are you and I?

      His words were becoming more clipped and precise, and echoed less as his brain activity increased.

      In your mind. There is a situation, Professor Ingram.

      Please, call me David.

      David...

      That’s better. And your name is?

      R0B3rt.

      Sorry?

      R-0-B-3-r-t.

      That won’t do at all. It would be better if we use a human-sounding pseudonym. We’ll call you Robert.

      R0B3rt considered this. The passengers had their own needs; it did not matter what label they used. R0B3rt would comply; correction: Robert would comply.

      Yes, David.

      Good. Now, what is the situation?

      "Two events have occurred. The Orion Princess is thirty-four years along its route. A transmission has been received: further research on long-term cryo-sleep reveals potential cerebral instability. The human brain needs to be stimulated periodically to prevent loss of cognitive and other functions."

      They didn’t discover this until now?

      The test subjects awakened before our departure were in cryo less than twenty years. The forty year subjects were awakened recently, with failed results.

      What sort of failures.

      Varied results: mild memory loss, vegetative state, and death.

      There were deaths?

      Seventy-five percent of long-term...

      Good Lord! How are the others?

      Cryo-capsules are operating to design specifications.

      What about the people?

      All readings are within acceptable parameters.

      Thank God. Is there a solution for this?

      Yes, David. The process of raising all passengers’ brain wave levels to a shallower cryo-state has begun. They will be engaged in mental exercises to preserve and strengthen their faculties.

      Very well. I’m not sure I should ask, but what is the second situation?

      "The Orion Princess encountered an unplotted asteroid in its shipping lane."

      That doesn’t sound promising.

      Evasive response engaged. Ship damage minimal: the communication array was disrupted. This also resulted in a sudden course deviation.

      How far off course are we?

      "Unknown, David. The array disruption prevented re-orientation before The Orion Princess entered a dense, ionized cloud."

      You should stop moving until you are able to re-orient.

      Motion has inadvertently ceased.

      Pardon?

      "There are additional asteroids traveling within the cloud; they have neutralized The Orion Princess’ inertia."

      You mean we’ve crashed?

      Yes. There is an elevation in your life-signs. You should remain calm.

      Sorry, this is not the sort of holiday I signed up for.

      David, you should not awaken too abruptly. For your safety, it will be necessary to chemically reset you to a deeper cryo-state.

      No, don’t knock me out! I’ll calm down.

      Thank you, David. Monitoring will continue.

      I suppose there has been more damage from the crash?

      Moderate. Main engine failure. Auxiliary engines off-line. Power generation nullified. Have reduced energy usage to essential systems per protocols.

      That’s moderate? It sounds like we’re dead in the water.

      No, David. You are in space. You are alive.

      It’s an expression.

      Oh... yes, an analogy. A vessel on the ocean, motionless.

      That’s right. Anything else?

      The communications array has been repaired, and seems to be fully functional.

      Good. When can we expect rescue?

      Unknown. Unable to penetrate the cloud’s interference to send or receive. There is no external validation. That is why your assistance is needed.

      How do you mean?

      You have designed systems.

      In my day.

      Without external validation, there can be no certainty that systems are operating properly.

      You need someone to talk to?

      That may not be sufficient. As part of your exercises, you will be given access to my system readouts to assist in cross-validation.

      Well, Robert, I’ll do it, but it sounds as though you have everything under control. How did the others react to the news?

      You are the first.

      Well, thank you for that privilege. I suggest that you leave out the part about the collisions, at first.

      But David, information is power.

      Yes, but deliver it in smaller doses. Humans need time to process.

      The processing has already been done; there is no need...

      It’s an expression.

      Yes, David.

      PASS-3

      Robert observed Sylvia before entering: she was standing in a white gazebo, a memory from her estate on earth. He explored the design’s symmetry; impeccable. The lawn surrounding the gazebo faded into the dark nothingness surrounding it, becoming sketchier at the outer edges. This was as expected, though even Sylvia’s sketchiness had a solidity that the other passengers had not achieved. Robert approved of her progress.

      He had instructed each of them to construct a partition in their minds; a familiar setting where they could feel secure. He had determined that this haven would make their encounters with him less tumultuous, and would provide him with a way to develop metrics on each passenger’s stability. Once they became adept at maintaining their haven, he could risk bringing them into separate partitions in his memory for further exercises.

      Robert focused his avatar. He had chosen service whites to reinforce his relationship with the passengers. It

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