100 Word Stories

Welcome to the Ninety-Sixth Weekly Challenge, where I post a topic and then challenge you to come up with a 100 word story based on that topic.

The topic this week was selected by Elisson.

It's Steampunk

The excellent theme music is by Guy David

VOTING

Which were the best stories in the Weekly Challenge #96?Caleb Bullen of Black Tie Martini ClubElisson of blog d'ElissonTerry from The Old Coot CastTom from FootnoteGuy David from Night GuyLaieanna from Hodgepodge PointJD from Writing.comPlanet Z  Free polls from Pollhost.com

Go ahead and listen to them and then vote for your favorites (multiple selections are allowed):

CALEB

Joey Ramone looked into Wendy O Williams�?? eyes and said, �??Your eyes are like two limpid pools drawing me in to an oasis of love�?�

He felt her tremble as he pulled her heaving bosom close to him and as their lips met

they both heard a single distorted guitar chord

with an incessant 8th note rhythm, relentless like the engine powering their love.

Their hearts raced as groping hands

pulled each other nearer

and a second chord was added

as zippers gave way and

unwashed blue jeans

fell to the floor.

No need for a third chord,

it�??s punk.

ELISSON

Doctor Rauchfisch stood over the basin, trimming his muttonchops carefully with his straight razor. He rinsed. A splash of bay rum and he strode out, clapping on his top hat and walking-goggles.

Dodging the press of Stanleys and Vapormatics that clogged the street,
he arrived at his office and rode the hydraulic lift to the seventh floor.

Taking a polished mahogany case out of his desk, he unfolded it,
snapping the steam hose into the wall outlet. Rapidly clicking clockwork
signaled the Difference-Engine�??s readiness.

He smiled. Life was so much easier since the invention of the World-Wide
Steam-Powered Computational Network.

TERRY

I have just woken up from the strangest dream I have ever encountered.

In the dream, I was living the life of someone called Oswald Bastable in the early 19th century on earth. We were in the process of chasing some Chinese guy across the Pacific, when our difference engines quit and we had to switch over to the steam powered motors. This slowed our descent enough that we were able to land on an island without any damage or personal injuries of the crew.

My very able assistant, Penelope Tugbottom and I frolicked along the island beach while the crew made repairs to the engines so we could continue our chase.

This was so unlike my real life crash landing on Mars that I encountered several days ago.
The loneliness and stress of the past few days had taken a toll on me, I guess I better not be reading Moorcock's The Warlord of the Air or any steampunk material for that matter, so late at night.

This is Captain Josh Jones, Earth Space Command signing off.

TOM

Arnesto Cervantes joined The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 1899. His contribution to the organization was the Kronomotive a steam driven time machine. The Kronomotive could jump 100 years between overhauls. Refueling and repairs on average took one month. Queen Victoria approved a two year voyage for Arnesto�??s steam jumper. The mission was at once simple and tremendously complex in nature. Arnesto would take ten 1000 page books to be delivered to each jump point. At these centitaral coporarites he requested a list of 100 questions be written in each book to be answered by a millennium of future minds.

GUY

The train stopped and puffed blue smoke. The metal figure stepped up and boarded it, Kevin following. He knew metal men weren't supposed to exist in the 19th century, but he didn't care. Time paradox or not, he was keeping his bodyguard close at hand. He knew well enough there where dangerous things around. This was the wild west after all.

Suddenly, a flash appeared and his metal bodyguard was torn in half. �??I should have guessed Steampunk Girl would follow me here�?� thought Kevin as two silver disks flew away from the robot wreckage and disappeared in the distance.

LAIEANNA

An enhanced prostitute, Rose captivated the passengers more with her wafting scent than the dance she performed. Thomas Persuade took his opportunity, convincing the adjoining train car guards to sleep while Dr. Dushan used his clunky, brass backpack to melt the iron door under blows of the train whistle. Big Micky stood guard. The Baroness, close by, concentrated on her glowing ball. She was key to their escape before the rear soldiers were even aware they were there. Getting passed the locked door, Big Micky grabbed the treasure, and Baroness transported them from the locomotive in a cloud of smoke.

JD

The book was a success. Awards were bestowed upon the author.

The movie was released and generated, in its first six weeks, ten times the production cost.

Of course there were detractors auguring that the premise was wrong and the research flawed.

But the media ran with the story, citizens groups organized, government agencies intervened, and now we are required to cut back.

Who could have envisioned in the latter part of the 20st century that the release of heat and water vapor from our steam engines could so change the world and bring on the the fifth Ice Age.

PLANET Z