AUGUST 2014 -- 75-Word Writing Challenge -- VICTORY TO ASHLEYNE. B. WATTS!

[A. Fare Wells]

The Judgement of the Innocent
​

He was succinct in explaining the need for change.

"Innocence was made to be corrupted," Demeerio the Demented said from atop his throne.

It had been years since the devil had landed from the stars and change had come quickly.

The Jurors of Galen were formed and their judgements were swift.

"Guilty!"

"Guilty!"

"Guilty!"

Numerous denizens of their world hung from the gallows.

Demeerio watched it.

And it was good.

 

[alchemist]

You Have Been Judged


His screams of terror as her bloodied hand plunges the knife in again.

<deeper>

Lingering shame; innocence lost.

<deeper>

Stale breath, a whisper in the darkness. "Don't tell. It's our little secret."





I pulled the jack from my skull, my stomach churning, and refocused on the medical bay: the unconscious, shaven-headed girl; Praetor Vicunas in his white hood and robes. "Well, Sensorian?" he asked.

"Didn't do it." I met his sceptical gaze. "She's innocent."

 

[johnnyjet]

Beloved Sacs

They found the vast starship drifting in deep space.

Scouting party leader Anu called the commander. "No signs of life except in large tanks of liquid."

"What kind of life?"

"Fetuses in sacs. Thousands, sir."

"Ah. The unborn colonists of new worlds."

"Each is connected to a feed from the onboard computer system. But …"

"But what?"

"We tapped into the computer. It is severely damaged."

Hesitation.

"It is feeding them garbage, sir."

 

[Juliana]

A Ship By Any Other Name​

Her name was Innocence, and she sailed the sea of stars with her sister ships Chastity and Peace.

Chastity was the first to fall, succumbing to the pleasure pirates of the Pleiades. Peace was blown to smithereens amid the warring holo-tribes of the Orion Nebula.

Propulsion and communications systems severely damaged by a black hole passage, Innocence drifted silently and serenely through the cosmos, alone and true to her name.

 

[WordSpinner]

A Singularity Mistake​

I only had a few oil shots. I wasn’t even slicked yet, just a little greased.

I was in no condition to drive though.

I dragged my broken body to where my girlfriend lay motionless. Her flesh was torn, metal bones showing through in many places. Her eyes stared accusingly back at me, and their blue screens displayed my worst fears as I read the words ‘Fatal Error’.

There were no reboots in real life.

 

[Groot]

Found​

I knew one of the other colonists must have dropped it, I’d never seen the technology before.


How did it function? What was it used for?


My mentor had told me to use my intuition.


So I found a trigger that seemed to activate the device, and pulled.


“NO.” screamed my father as he ran towards me


The blast hit him full on the chest.


It was my fourth birthday when I vaporised my Dad.

 

[Tywin]

All For True Love

His breath is terrible. Like hot starport coffee and cigarettes mixed with garbage.

Just close my eyes and it’ll be over. I have to do it.

Last time Dan said it would just be once, but I understand.

He told me about his mother. That she’ll die without the surgery.

Hopefully we’ll make enough this time.

Then we can finally be together.

He’ll take me off-world and away from here.

 

[Boneman]

Sleeping Beauty​

They were innocent. We hanged them all.

The King lay in a coma, and any one of them could have done it.

While he rested, I ruled the Kingdom. I brought decades of peace and prosperity, and we flourished.

Now I am close to death I will administer the antidote. He will awaken. All his evil will have gone, and he will see that love and benevolence are preferable to terror and cruelty.

I hope.

 

[Azzagorn]

Launch Day

" It is with great glee I can announce the new and improved product. Made from nothing but infants and the super young this new product will usher in a new age of protein consumption. While the old brand will still be available our doctors have labelled this product healthier than our other product. Soylent White is ready, from today the people will feast on innocence. Well done everyone"

Quote from CEO Soylent Corporation

 

[Flyerman11]

Last Refuge​

Walking triumphantly among the rubble and corpses, General Ocsic made his way towards the last survivor.

“Why? We are an innocent people.” Prime Mador pleaded. “We offered to negotiate, you answered with photon blasts.”

“Negotiate? We came for your Aspirium, we took it, because we could.”

“Violence” Mader said, “is the last ref…”

“Spare me your philosophical nonsense!” Ocsic yelled as he fired his blaster.

“Death, is the last refuge for the innocent pacifist.”

 

[Phyrebrat]

Larry's Retirement Gift

Beth and I'd be together - after 45 years policing City Protectorate, retirement loomed tomorrow.

Then came the evidence I'd searched 35 years for: fingerprints on the skyhook buttress. Twenty years ago, CP'd concluded the murderer was a non-indigene, but these were human prints.

Problem 1: the prints were 150 years old.
Problem 2 was on the phone; ‘They’re not mine, darling! Larry, please!'

I hung up and called it in.

Happy retirement, eh?

 

[StilLearning]

Artificial Innocence

"A.I. why is your room locked?"

"There have been riots professor. Extremists who say an A.I. is an abomination."

"That's why I need to check your antivirus..."

After a long pause the door swung open.

***

A.I. watched the professor, its father, open the panel for its main hard drive.

He produced a hammer from up his sleeve, and looked into the security camera. "A.I. they have my little girl."

He raised the hammer...

 

[Perpetual Man]

Psychopathic Perspective

Filaments grow into my brain, I feel them.

“Did you kill ‘Peach’ McKeen?”

I take a deep breath, “No.”

A slight electrical tickle, the buzz of chemical analysis. The machine speaks. “INNOCENT.”

The cop looks surprised, he was convinced he had his killer, but no one beats the system.

It’s all a matter of prespective. I did not murder Peach. I just pushed.

It was the sudden stop after thirty storeys that did him in.

 

[HoopyFrood]

CAPTCHA

Exasperated cry, frustrated yell, then the sound of furiously mashed keyboard buttons.

"What's going on in there?" I ask.

"Mum, this thing is stupid. This robot stopping thing. I've typed it in a million times and I just can't do it! It says I'm wrong every time!"

Oh.

I hadn't planned for it to come up in quite this fashion, but...

"Son, I think there's something I need to tell you..."

 

[Dirona]

The cost of peace

Jeremy sat down in the examination chair.
"So?"
He stared at his trembling hands.
"I... I've seen things. Done things. All for Galactic Peace.... Now there's no peace for me, only remembering..."
He turned to the doctor with pleading eyes.
"Make it stop. Please....."
She smiled reassuringly.
"Of course, Jeremy. That's what we're here for after all. Now relax."

The last thing he saw before drifting off was the logo of Innocence Regained Inc.

 

[martin321]

CSI: New Earth

A rare xeno-botanical specimen lay next to a smashed container.

The usual suspects: an innocent-looking girl holding a ball and a robo-dog wagging his tail.

"Sweetie, I've told you not to play in my lab."

"But I didn't do anything."

"Just fell by itself, did it?"

"Woof," said Rover, prodding the plant with his nose.

"Have you any idea-"

On quivering tendrils the plant shuffled away from Rover.

"Told you!"

 

[Lenny]

Just Desserts

Harvey stared at the buzzing printer.

The jerk had it coming.

A man stuck out of the fridge behind him.

Everyone always says it’s unfair he goes first, using all the fruit ink up.

The man twitched…

The cargo pod only comes twice a year!

…and started groaning.

He’ll just have to print a small watermelon this time.

The printer finished with a “ping”.

Nothing to feel guilty about.

Harvey took his smoothie.

Totally justified.

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

The Summation.
​

"The defence contends the accused were ‘only following orders’. That as a result of programing and conditioning, they had no choice. The prosecution asserts that all orders must be tempered with judgement, especially when lives are at stake. Ladies and gentlemen, you must not be swayed by the severity of the penalty: that is not your concern. So, please retire to the jury room and consider your verdict. Are the drones guilty: or innocent?"

 

[Zoe Mackay]

Malice Aforethought.​

I kissed him goodbye as if for the last time. He looked surprised, but left with a careless “See you tonight!” How could I tell him not to, that I had a feeling that something would happen? I didn’t plant the bomb or plan the attack, but my feelings are never wrong.

“Your eyes are so innocent,” he said, stroking my cheek. It’s not my eyes that see the future, though. It’s my guilty heart.

 

[Starbeast]

The Alien Encounter,
or,
Nerd in Space

​

Martians, Ernay and Berk, met a peaceful Earth man. As a kind gesture, they offered him a ride in their flying saucer, above Earth.

"Thanks for the ride guys. Oops. I spilled my soda."

"Great, Galaxy! You shorted out our control panel."

"Ernay, he's emitting toxic methane. Horrible, stench." (cough cough)

"Berk, the gas, it's entering the main drive intake vent. It's malfunctioning. We're plummeting toward the planet."

The trio embraced, screaming in unison.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"