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KC Foster

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2024

Stories (33)
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94 Followers
96 Following

33 Stories

611 karma pts

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Technomancer 23: 1200 Hours

0930 HoursThe clock hovered above Leron in the darkness. His dreams of being in the Rio Grande with Masa and his daughter banished, and only Leron 2.0 stood before him, beneath the large white numbers. It had invaded his dreams, filled with questions about the previous day. Obliging the AI, Leron abandoned his dreams for the black space in his mind and now sat cross-legged on the glasslike floor.Input required. Define Wife.“Compatible supplemental program,” Leron responded, struggling not to laugh.Wife equals supplemental program. Supplement...

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Technomancer 22: Zippers

Tears drifted down Masa’s cheek and onto her belly, dampening her shirt and jeans. The bed beneath creaked while she shifted her weight, trying to force herself to get up. Beside her sat the duffel bag containing all her clothes. The baby clothes she had been making sat on top. She laughed bitterly. Who would have thought she would ever make such things? She reached for the zipper. Placing them in the bag felt final, like she was zipping away a part of her life. How could he defend her mother like that? She had said the unforgivable, and he ...

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Sheena Leads; Sheila Needs

Sheila gripped the handles of her crutches. Beneath her arms, the padded supports rubbed up against her skin, and her muscles ached from the strain. She stared down at the stump where once her healthy leg had resided. No more running or walking. She was doomed to live life without her right leg until it healed well enough for a prosthetic.At night, the phantom pains kept causing her to relive the accident. The wheel. The screech of the out-of-control vehicle in front of her, the smoke, and then the pain. Never-ending pain. She bit back the t...

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Technomancer 21: Mother in Law

Beneath the darkening sky, Leron walked alongside Masa through the parking lot of Alejandro’s Cabana. The hot air began to cool, and the grasshoppers bounded everywhere while cicadas filled the air with their hum. Leron glanced down and smiled. Her tiny hand felt like it belonged in his. He wished they could run away and leave it all behind them.“We need to tell them about the war,” Masa said; her hand tightening in his. “They have a right to know.”Leron couldn’t manage anything more than a nod. He swallowed back the nervousness and did his ...

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Technomancer 20: Reunion

Hundreds of eyes stared down at Leron from the seats in the dimly lit amphitheater. A sea of faces in beige uniforms, blending in with the walls behind them. Most struggled to stay awake in the heat, as the A/C system was out. A few propped their heads on their hands while others yawned. Leron knew he needed to move on to the more important information, or he would lose them. He finished explaining how they could use the chips in their brains to access and alter the programs within the drones, and changed the screen.“This here,” he said, poi...

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Technomancer 19: Tamales

Another page turned. Its crisp sound only served to remind Masa of the passage of time. The tightly bound words residing in two neat columns provided her no answers, and she wondered what great knowledge her father had once found within the bounds of the scriptures. She turned yet another page, feeling even more lost. A few verses brought her guidance; some gave her hope, but most were lost on her, especially those on forgiveness.Forgiveness was a concept she struggled with, particularly after seeing so much darkness in the world. So many go...

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Technomancer 18: 30 Minutes

***Mentions of surgery. Human Captivity. Mass murder.***30 minutes. 30 minutes and it will be over, Leron told himself while trying to calm his quickening breaths. His heart was racing so hard that he could feel the beats reverberating through his entire body. The thought that someone was about to put something in his brain terrified him.Beneath him, the cold metal bed caused him to shiver, and the thin blanket covering him did nothing to alleviate the chill. The wheels of the surgical gurney squeaked across the vinyl floor. A man in pale gr...

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Technomancer 17: The Truth behind the Disappearances

Masa gently pushed on the metal lid of the supply crate, hoping none of the soldiers were in the back of the truck. There had been no sound since she had hidden, but that didn't mean they weren't there. Peeking out, she breathed a sigh of relief. No soldiers. From the cab to her left came voices, muffled by the green canvas and the sound of the tarp cover, rustling loudly in the desert wind. A thick canvas sheet blocked them from her view.She turned to her right and glanced out the opening in the canvas at the back. Barren golden landscape p...

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Technomancer 16: Opportunity

Screw this, Masa thought, puking her guts into the toilet in her mother’s workshop. Carefully, she held her dark hair back as more came. When it was over, she wiped the corner of her mouth with an old rag, relieved the bathroom was far enough away that her mother would not hear.Picking up an empty bucket from the water barrel, she filled it and threw the water into the open toilet tank before flushing. The room smelled rank with stale piss, but at least the commode was only shared by three and not the mess which had frequented the Canteena i...

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Technomancer 15: The Plans of Mice and Men

Ms. Brents left the meeting and headed toward the factory door. She turned, shooting Leron a glare that made him want to crawl beneath the nearest pallet. He considered running away once his shift was over but decided against it. Before he could escape, he needed to wipe any trace of Masa or the Monterrey group from her files. They had to be protected. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet, scratching at the roots of his dreads. Ms. Brents would beat him when he returned, or worse.Major Andrew sidled up next to him. “How on earth do you know ...

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Technomancer 14: Intrigue

The drone sat on the table before Leron, lifeless and unmoving despite the repairs he had made. He picked it up, running his hands over the cold metal, and noticed a broken wire.“That’s why it won’t work,” he muttered, leaving the drone on the table and wandering along the aisle between the never-ending rows of light tables. Smoke from melted solder permeated the air, the white wisps hanging above the other tables and the people hunched over them. A few of his coworkers glanced in his direction, giving him a nod of approval. He was the one w...

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Technomancer 13: The Price of a Man

***Mentions of nonconsensual relations, mentions of war***The price of a man was defined by what he wanted most, thought Leron, staring grimly at the antibiotics in Ms. Brent’s hand. They were the only thing that helped; that held back the infection still festering in his arm even after a month. The doctor had said it was almost gone which brought him hope. It wouldn’t be much longer and he could begin to search for Masa. He snatched the pills up and downed them.“Now that’s a good boy,” Ms. Brents said, brushing her hands across his shoulder...

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Technomancer 12: To be Alone

What do we do now? Arion’s words echoed in Masa’s mind, repeating themselves. They invaded her thoughts while she escaped from Arion at the table, seeking out the backseat of one of the many cars in her mother’s mechanic’s shop. His looks of longing spoke of what he wanted. Go to sleep, she had told him flatly, before escaping and staggering towards one of the nearby vehicles and collapsing in the back seat. She lay on the leather, the smell of grease permeating her nose, and worrying about whether he would still come after her. Her heart be...

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Technomancer 11: Broken Love and Half-truths

Masa stared at the old HEB sign, towering into the dusty orange sky. It was getting late and a long time ago, it would have been lit this time of evening. Beside it, a sign for a MacDonald's, a mechanics shop, and a Dunkin Donuts. "Do you think some of them still do business?" she asked Arion, over the drone of the crowd."I doubt it," Arion replied, pulling along their handcart. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, threatening to fall. A sheen of it covered his bare arms beneath the tank he wore. He swallowed, panting and wiping his brow, ...

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Technomancer 10: The Womens' Battle

***mentions of abuse, violence*** The raindrops poured down Masa’s dark hair and onto her face. Her soaked hair clung to her skin. The dress she wore to blend in with the other women was soaked. Crouching, she gripped the knife’s leather hilt, the leather band slippery from the rain and mud. She longed for the familiar feel of her handgun, but that was against the rules of engagement the women had agreed upon. There were to be no guns tonight, only daggers and poison. Lightning lit the sky, highlighting the faces of the women beside her. All...

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