Tag: Maya Blumberg/Firefly

Liedecker Institute #15 – January Heatwave Part 3

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This entry is part 3 of 13 in the series Liedecker Institute Volume 2: Student Life

Alvin checked his service weapon; an air pistol that delivered either taser or sonic ‘screamer’ rounds, both definitively proven to be the best when it came to less-lethal engagements with descendants. It was there for the very simple fact that anyone going after powered kids would probably use powered hirelings to do so.

He unsnapped the band securing it in his shoulder holster, but did not draw it. If the noise really was the youth in question, he needed to look as non-threatening as possible.

Treading softly, he approached. The dumpster. “Hello?” No answer. “My name is T. Alvin Warren. I’m the head of security at the Liedecker Institute. I’m here to help.” Still no answer. But he did see a wisp of smoke come from just around the corner of the garbage receptacle. That was never a good sign.

“Listen; I know you’re scared. I’ve heard all about the men after you. I know they’re fakes. If you come out, we can get you somewhere safe and get to the bottom of this.”

A soft sound, possibly a whimper, possibly a scoff, it was hard to tell. “N-no, sir.”

Alvin raised an eyebrow. That was a new one. A … Continue reading

Liedecker Institute #14 – January Heatwave Part 2

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This entry is part 2 of 13 in the series Liedecker Institute Volume 2: Student Life

In the interest of doing good business; the Mayfield Chamber of Commerce made it excessively easy for anyone who wanted to know anything about their city. Free information kiosks were on every bus and commuter pod as well as in every mall and included at every major attraction.

With a few taps of the screen, a person could find pretty much any store in the city (who paid the yearly fee for inclusion in the database), ordered by customer ratings, size, or distance from the kiosk. There were also segments on tourist attractions, apartment listings, and even an expansive trivia section.

It was the trivia section that told Maya, in no uncertain terms, that Mayfield’s design itself was working against her plans of finding safe shelter.

Apartments were packed into skyscrapers, with precious few smaller scale tenements that could become derelict and open to squatters. The underground was all new and fully operational; no lost or forgotten sections to hide in. Mayfield was also home to the central headquarters to Lending Hand, Inc; a non-profit specializing in providing clean, safe shelter for the homeless.

It was a godsend to most, but it was also the first place they’d look for … Continue reading

Liedecker Institute #13 – January Heatwave Part 1

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This entry is part 1 of 13 in the series Liedecker Institute Volume 2: Student Life

Between Dayspring College, Emerald University and UVA’s Mayfield campus, Mayfield was safely and comfortably withing the bounds of being a ‘college town’. This meant, among other things, that local businesses evolved slightly different approaches to priorities than they would in other places.

Delivery service was suddenly much more important, as were late hours and discounts for students. A relaxed, casual atmosphere helped, and being within walking distance of a campus was the crown jewel.

Not having the kind of money it took to rent floorspace in a prime location, Midnight Black’s owner, Lucy Black, had missed out on that crown jewel. Instead, she’d settled for being in a nice, visible spot on the edge of the Devonhurst business district. At time, she hadn’t paid any mind to the fact that she was three blocks down from the mothballed property that John T. Liedecker intended to become a school for psionics before he was spectacularly underbid by the Psionics Training and Application Academy.

Imagine her surprise when, as the result of the PTAA folding amid allegations of kidnapping and abuse, the formerly dead campus next door was suddenly reanimated as the John T. Liedecker Institute; not just as a high school … Continue reading

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