Below the title will be a rating, given to each individual short. It has nothing to do with the rating for the story as a whole. Some of my shorts do have adult content for example, and those are certainly not a T. Next to the rating will be a description of why it had been given that, so you could, for example, read an M rated story about violence as opposed to a M rated story about more intimate matters. Simple, right? What you read is entirely dependant on your comfort levels, though rest assured I will not be writing something so sexually graphic it reads like a porn novel. That's simply not my style.
Below the rating will be a summary, and it will tell you a few things: When the story in question takes place (before/during/after the main plot), and a usually cryptic message about what the story is about. (Because I can. No need to come out and ruin all the fun by giving a plain description.)
Music
Rating: T
Summary: After the main story. He said he'd get it to work.
September 2035
The dam hummed with the going about of people. Jackson had built up a small team of engineers and they monitored the aging dam night and day, constantly making quick, ad hoc repairs to keep the electricity flowing. Teams of guards manned the towers and patrolled the surroundings. The dam was a good day's hike from Jackson, and was by far the more vulnerable of the two. Marcus walked around the courtyard, trailing lazy circles in the dirt, attempting to mitigate boredom. Tommy had asked him to spend the weekend up there, and do a few sweeps of the surrounding area at night. A few guards had reported seeing movement in the middle of the night, and no one wanted bandits to be pushing their noses where they didn't belong. The dam belonged to Jackson, and everyone intended to keep it that way. That's why he was there. Marcus was no superhero, but the town was hard pressed to find a better tracker than the once child-soldier.
Unfortunately for the teen the sun had barely reached its zenith. Night time was a long ways off. He gave up his lazy wandering, and sat down on a crate, yawning deeply. He missed Ellie, and it had only been a day since he left to hike up here. They should be spooning right about now. Attachment was a bitch. A man called Cathcart approached him. He was in charge of the patrols and guards of the dam. He certainly looked the part, his imposing figure wide and stocky.
"You look bored son."
Son. He hated being called that.
"Well, not much in the way of entertainment here."
Marcus relaxed against the crate, boredom attempting to cripple his form. The older man let a rare, thin smile pierce his lips. The boy was a wanderer through and through. He must hate staying in one place any longer than necessary. Funny how Tommy had told him the boy was a dear friend of the family and had been associated with Joel's girl for over a year. She must be something special to him to keep a person like that chained up.
"You ever play around on a computer?"
Cathcart wasn't usually so forthcoming with the dam's technology, but if the boy was here to do them a favor it was the least the old guard could do. A good turn deserved a good turn.
"A what?"
Marcus seemed to think hard on the word, and Cathcart laughed.
"That answers that. Follow me."
He motioned the boy up, and led him into the dam itself. The hum of electricity engulfed them, and Cathcart led him deeper into the concrete machine. A rusted door gave way to a few computers, a couple of engineers manning the dimly flickering consoles. One was vacant. He gestured for Marcus to sit at it. He did so, and the old guard brought up a window, a few things listed on its white screen.
Minesweeper
Solitaire
Pinball
Chess
"Mess around with those, and only with those things. You break this place and you can explain it all to Maria. After you fix it."
Marcus held up his hands in compliance, and moved the mouse like he had seen Cathcart, clicking on the first game that seemed familiar. Minesweeper. He had helped lay mines before. Maybe he would be good at it.
Twenty minutes later he hammered the close button, holding back an urge to put his fist through the screen. Fucking stupid game. He leaned back, letting a sharp breath out. He turned his gaze down to study the computer itself. The machine was battered and worn. Probably a miracle it still worked. There were gouges in the plastic, and the paint of the casing was scratched off in most places. There were two indentations that looked like they were made for something and…wait.
He got out of the chair, dropping to his knees to study the slots. They looked familiar. It hit him, and he grabbed at his backpack, fishing out the battered black rectangle he had show Ellie so long ago, along with the cord he had found with it. One of the sides looked like it was made for the plug, and her carefully pushed it in, hearing a faint snap as it clicked into place.
I knew I'd get it to work one day!
His mind began to race. Who knew what was on the thing. He quickly plugged the other end into the rectangle, fishing back into his backpack for the headphones that went with it. They were buried, and he dragged them out, quickly working at untangling them. He glanced at the rectangle, and saw that parts of it had lit up. It worked! He knew it!
He waited a few minutes for it to gather some semblance of a charge before pressing the buttons until something happened. After several tries the screen lit up, the small machine starting up. Words filled it, and he began poking around, slowly figuring out how to work it. Things fell into place, and he navigated to the music section. Licking his lips with nervousness he put the headphones on and pressed one of the songs…
The weekend was over, and Marcus had wandered back. He had quickly pulled Ellie aside, and the two had disappeared up to her room for a while. Joel relaxed in the kitchen, pushing food around on his plate as he let the day's work drain from his muscles. The thumping of stairs sounded, and the young couple appeared at his side, eager looks on their faces. Ellie spoke first.
"Hey dad, what's a Skrillex and why does all its music sound broken?"
A/N:
Hey all, unfortunately I've been struck by a massive case of a hectic life and writer's block due to stress. I certainly didn't plan on this happening, but it is what it is. Luckily I was able to finish the main story. I'll continue to post up the few stories I still have left, and will certainly try and keep reviewing the stories I said I would, but I don't think I'll be able to produce any new content for a while. Which is a shame, but it is what it is.