what shall I do?

I am giving serious consideration to discontinuing this and its sister blog and move to posting on deviantArt.

I have been neglectful of this and its sister, over other things I have been doing. Also I think I can get the feedback there that I am not getting here.
So, what are the assets?
Better flow through the site for exposure.
Hopefully a good solid critique community, as opposed to no community, or worse - trolls.
I can post from my sketch book and attach the art to flesh out my ideas.

Liabilities?
Unsure of response: trolls? moderators?
Monetizing the posts to make a few pennies?

Some of Sam's further adventures

This story happens a few weeks after the last post. That one ended with Sam her husband Pete and their daughter Rabeka in the hospital. Pete and Rabeka in post-operative care. While in the hospital, Sam decides to follow Maddie and others and get some training. Pete as he recovers decides that he will join the Marines, if he can. thus we proceed.

Rabeka was evaluated, and removed from the tank. Sam was given help in bathing and swaddling Rabeka, and allowed to resume feeding and caring for her.

Sam and Rabeka’s stitches were removed the same day, and both were discharged that evening. Pete was held a day longer.

They stayed in their apartment in The Pit for a week, as Pete waited for his physical to be approved by the Marines. They put things in order, and arranged for some help moving some furniture, mostly the baby stuff. They sold off or simply left behind most of the rest.  They packed the few things they wanted to keep, including about half of Pete’s clothes, and some books, and their electronic files.

Sam saw him off to boot camp. With the arranged for help, she then moved to an apartment at the Monastery.

Among the first things she learned, was a fuller story of what happened that night. Grandpa and Brando sat her down at dinner, taking her aside to a private table and told her.

Grandpa had pre-cog’ed and then sent the advanced class out looking for her. Brando and Maddy found out, and he took Maddy directly to Sam. Maddy called for the talents to her location, as Brando waded in.

Brando showed Sam why some had taken to calling him Sword. He transformed and extruded a large blade out of his hand, then reverted, and continued the story.

“I used these to knock the bar away, as that guy tried to hit you with it. I then proceeded to carve up that guy and the one with the chain. Four more tried to join in, but Maddy handled that. First she created a gravity spot that pulled their car toward her, through them. She then suspended them a foot off the ground as I disarmed them. Maddy then compressed the car to a solid block and left it there, while holding the six rebels in the air.

“At that point I turned to you and Pete. Two other fighters swooped in. We realized that Rabeka and Pete were nearly dead. Each took a body and started the healing drill. I took the five of you; Pete and his healer, you, Rabeka and her healer; and transported you to the Trauma Ward. After the initial confusion, Pete was taken to emergency Surgery, and the other fighter and I went with Rabeka to the isolation ward. Another group went to work on you.

“Maddy later said that she directed the other fighters to the hospital. She stayed there, and held the rebels immobile until the police arrived. She then had them tell the police the correct story, almost getting arrested herself.”

Sam interrupted Brando at this point. “How did she do that?”

“Breathing is a hard habit to break. But when your lungs weigh 10 times normal, it becomes easier to quit.”

Sam wondered briefly about Maddy, and then back to the conversation. “The police only came to talk to me once.”

“Yeah, well. The two you tore up were sufficiently forthcoming: the police decided they did not need to talk to you, for prosecution, after talking to the doctors and seeing what they did to you, Pete, and Rebeka.”

-

This following one is an episode from a few years later than the above snippet. Rebeka is five or six.

Maddy is in the hospital after a particularly nasty fight that left her buried in some rubble.

 

Sam had Rabeka in tow, and was bursting with news that she hoped would cheer up Maddy. They arrived at the hospital and Sam landed, then got Rabeka out of her pack. They walked into the building and to the unit where Maddy was. They entered the room assigned to her, where she was alone for the moment.

Maddy floated naked in an isolation tank, with a mask over her face. The exterior of the tank was opaque just now, except for the top foot where Maddy’s head was visible. Sam tapped on the tank as Rabeka got in a chair. Maddy turned to look. She had been allowed to revert, but she still had some nasty discoloration to her face. She spoke over the intercom.

M: “Hi. Nice to see a friendly face. Two friendly faces. Hello youngster.”

R: “Hi.” Rabeka waved.

S: “Maddy, how are you feeling?”

M: “Like I look, I suppose. And you?”

S: “I’m ok. I was a bit sick this morning, but I got over it.”

M: “I’m glad I’m off solid food, or I would be sick as well. The doctors say I bruised about every muscle in my face.”

S: “I helped dig you out, so you don’t have to tell me about it. They let you revert. So, can you keep your legs and arm?”

M: “That’s right, you weren’t here. I do get to keep the legs, but I will have to relearn how to make them work. But...I lost the arm. They say it was too torn up and dirty.”

S: “I’m sorry to hear that.”

M: “I’m glad you can’t see it. The doctor says they will retract my arm to the shoulder and put a synthetic one in place, from the joint down.”

S: “You keep your shoulder?”

M: “Yeah. Wait...’sick in the morning?”

S: “I’m expecting.”

M: “How recent?”

S: “Not quite four weeks.”

M: “Congratulations, Rabeka. You will get to be a big sister.”

R: “Thanks. Are you going to ever have a baby?” Rabeka asked with the innocent disregard for propriety that children have.

M: “Some day. If I find the right man.”

R: “I hope it’s soon.”

Sam pulled Maddy’s attention back. “How long are you in the tank?”

M: “They won’t tell me. I guess until my legs heal.”

S: “Have you tried to transform, to check your wings and tail?”

M: “Not yet. They say to let my legs heal a bit longer. How is the fight going?”

S: “Quiet, since the last attack.”

Maddy turned and looked around. “Sam, could you open the blinds, and turn the tank? I want to see the sky.”

“Sure, Maddy.”

Sam opened the blinds, then put Rabeka on top of the tank. “You hold on.”

Then she transformed, checked the lines for the tank, and pushed it over to the light from the window. As the tank entered the square of light it lost its apparent opacity, and showed to be translucent. Maddy’s body could be discerned, but not clearly seen.

Maddy noticed. “How do I look?”

S: “Damaged, but reassembled. I can’t see enough to say.”

M: “It’s alright. The light feels good. Rabeka, you learn to love that light.”

R: “I do.”

The Nurse came in, looking worried. “What all did you do?”

The nurse moved to the monitors and checked them quickly.

Sam turned to the Nurse. “I opened the window shade and pushed the tank into the light.”

“Ok, that explains it. We heard a noise.” She checked the connections and settings as Sam reverted.

Sam felt Maddy concentrate and watched as the bird needles on the window ledge bent. Before long a few birds sat on the bent apparatus. Maddy radiated contentment as she dozed off.

Sam gathered Rabeka and left, stopping at the nurse station. “Don’t move the tank unless you have to.”

N: “Why?”

S: “She‘s drawing in some solar energy, and she wants to see the birds."

Sam's fight.

This is still a rough draft, and partially stream of consciousness.

Sam is a contemporary and friend of Benjamina, who is the daughter of Cyndal, both of which have some chronicling in previous posts.

Hal and The Sisters are references to more that happens in the story.

I made a storyboard of the actions of the first moves in this fight. found here:

http://jabberwalky.squarespace.com/cyndal-and-related/sams-story

Sam and Pete were taking a walk, Sam carrying Rabeka, when they get attacked.

They are at a park in the archeology, that has many terraces with porches and with grass and other vegetation.

Pete tries to talk them down, but Sam could see murder in their eyes. Rabeka was secured in her sling on Sam’s front; Sam’s fight-or-flight instinct was ready to run and started to pull Pete around to do so, only to see they were surrounded.

For a moment Sam panicked. Then it was almost as if Hal took over Sam’s actions. Sam Transformed. “No.”

Sam waded into the three in front of her, tearing ones arms up, smacking the second across his face with a barbed fist, and getting stabbed in the right side by the third. She grabbed his arm with her left hand so he couldn’t withdraw the knife, and backhand slashed his neck and throat open with her right forearm blades. She felt someone fall against her, and jumped out of the way, knocking over her first target with the slashed arms; as she turned, she slashed him with her forearm blades and dropped him.

Turning to what had been behind her, Sam faced three thugs across Pete, who lay on the ground clutching at a hole in his chest, and starting to cough. One thug had a chain, one had a knife, and the third had a medium length bar.

Sam, transformed

The chain swung at her. She ducked it laying her wings flat, only to be hit across the back and onto her knees by the bar. Instinct kept her from falling on Rabeka, who was squalling by now. Instead she fell on the knife in her side; it throbbed as it moved in her. Sam blindly lashed out with her left arm and wing, and knocked two away. The third slashed across her back. Sam screamed in pain, as she reared up, onto her knees, and slammed her palm into his chest, and pushed a plasma bolt into him, throwing him out of the fight and over the side of the terrace. Chain tried one more swing, and connected with the knife in Sam’s side and Rabeka, who suddenly went silent as Sam doubled over from the pain.

Sam started to rise again to face the guy with the bar as he returned and continue when a command from somewhere told her to duck.

Something whiffed above her connecting with the bar and both were suddenly gone. Then Sam collapsed and passed out.

Sam woke up in a strange room, still transformed; she lay face down, on an inclined table. Someone tugged at her back, but the pain was dim.

“Hold still please,” a kind, grandmotherly voice said.

The tugging continued a good distance down her back. Sam noticed that her ribs hurt, and she had an I.V. in her arm, from an IV tree beside her. But if her ribs hurt…

“Where is my baby!?”

“The talents still have her. Now hold still so I can finish without having to tie you down.” The kind Grandmotherly voice took on a command tone, and brooked no resistance.

Sam looked around. She was in room with medical supplies lining the walls in organized shelves and racks. To one side was a sink. In front of her was an opaque plastic hanging in the double door of the room. It felt to Sam that the nurse was stitching up a long deep wound on her back. Sam felt a deeper tug then a shallower one, over and over. Periodic cleaning and moistening of the wound was done. It felt cool, but otherwise numb. The stitching went a good distance down her back. Sam realized she was naked, and had a long bandage on her right side under her ribs. She also had two sets of bruises across her ribs that disappeared in the middle.

An eternal instant longer, she let Sam up. “Do not revert for a bit yet. The talents want to see you first.”

“Where’re my baby and my husband?”

The older somewhat heavy set nurse came around from behind Sam, and though shorter was not intimidated by Samanth.

“Your husband is in surgery. He was stabbed in the chest, but they missed his heart. Your baby is in the care of four talents, last I knew. I was not told the extent of her injuries. You can put this on, or follow as you are.”

The nurse held a hospital gown out to Sam. Sam pushed up against the inclined table, still kneeling on it, took the drape, and put it over her head. Simply a sheet with a hole in the middle, it covered down to her knees, and tied below her wings for some modesty.

“The wound on my back?”

“Nine inches long – sliced up a bunch of muscle. You also took a solid hit that would have broken bone had you not been transformed. I’m surprised you can stand. You have your rescuers to thank for that. The one on your front was messier, but it missed the major organs, and only sliced up some of your bowels. The Doctors sewed that up quickly and left you in my care. Can you walk?”

Sam decided on a wheel chair, as walking hurt everywhere above her hips. The IV was moved to a tree on the chair. The Nurse wheeled her to an elevator, and down a level, and into the trauma ward.

“By the way,” the nurse continued. “You killed two, disfigured one and paralyzed one. Good job.”

Sam felt uncomfortable with this praise, as they rolled past two trauma stations with people going full tilt. As they went past Sam looked at her hands and arms, and realized she still had blood on her talons and arm blades.

A trauma-nurse came out of one of the trauma stations and almost ran past, then seeing Sam and the old nurse, stopped. “Show me your arm.”

She picked up Sam’s left arm, as Sam held it up. Both blades had dried blood on them. As did her talons and hand barbs.

“Good Grief. No wonder it’s so messy.” The trauma-nurse turned back. “Two blades: long before short, concave, puncture then slice.”

“I don’t remember that.” Sam commented.

The old nurse answered. “He’s the one you disfigured. From what I gather, you got him in a backhand sweep, and tore your wing up in the process.”

The nurse wheeled Sam on past the second station. Sam smelled charred flesh.

“That’s the paralyzed one. Energy blast to the chest and fell two stories onto a bench, shattering his back. Better than he deserved.”

Sam sat quietly as they went past four more empty stations and through a set of doors into another ward. She wanted to look at her wing, but figured that since she did not feel any discomfort from them she would not worry about them.

“I hurt those people, badly.”

“Yes, dear, you did. In defense of your life, your husbands life and your baby’s life. They wanted to kill you, and came close to succeeding. Don’t let those Rebels injuries bother you, Sister.”

Sam was about to ask how the nurse knew she was a Sister, when she remembered the tattoo on her left shoulder

A police officer intercepted them as they wheeled into a scrub-room. He took blood samples from each of her arm blades, and scraped them and her talons for tissue as well. Satisfied he left, and the old nurse wheeled Sam along the ward to the windows of a sterile station with six people in sterile gowns in it. Sam only recognized Ben’s transformed form. Four fighters/talents were seated, eyes closed, and their hands under Rabeka, as a Doctor and Nurse worked on her, a tube was taped to Rabeka’s face. Rabeka was held face down, and ugly red blotch across her arms and back. The doctor was holding a flap of skin from her back up and talking slowly to the talents.

“What are they doing to my baby?” Sam almost lunged through the barrier, but the old nurse held her in the seat by her shoulders.

“I don’t know. Are you a talent?”

“I don’t know.” Sam started to weep.

“You are, or you wouldn’t have blasted the one.”

The nurse wheeled Sam to the scrub room for this station.

“Wash.” It was as commanding an order as Sam had ever been given.

With the Nurses help, Sam washed and scrubbed her hands and forearms clean of any contaminate, and nearly a layer of skin. Using sterile gloves, she handed Sam a new drape from this room, and helped Sam hobble to the doors, IV in hand. A nurse on the other side helped Sam through, and held her steady as a mister went over her top to bottom. This nurse then helped Sam hobble to a stool positioned at Rabeka’s feet, and hung the IV behind her. Sam wanted to cradle her baby, but with the cluster of people and the table and apparatus could only reach out to touch her. Ben opened her eyes, where she sat holding Rabeka’s head.

“Sam, just hold her feet, and trickle in energy. We will direct it.”

Sam did so, by instinct, and quickly found the right level of flow and her attention was quickly guided by a careful touch on her mind to picturing a healthy whole body. Samanth had no idea how long this took; eventually she felt consciousness drift from her again. She woke up in a hospital room, on her front, with light coming in from a window. The IV was still in her arm.

She looked around, and then at herself. All was as it was. Save that she had been sponge bathed at some point, and the bandages replaced. Sam pushed the call button, and let the nurse help her into a chair. Finally, Sam was allowed to carefully revert. The bruises and cracked ribs in her chest ached as she breathed.

“Take me to my husband.”

The nurse wheeled her to see Pete. He was still out, and had a bandage across his chest, and a tube in his mouth and nose.

“His lung collapsed, but has been handled. Baring infection, he’ll be fine.”

Sam kissed his hand, and they left, and went down to the Infant ICU.

Grandpa was napping outside the ward, but woke as they approached. He got to his feet, balancing with his cane. “Hello. I am Benjamina’s Grandfather. Derrick asked me to come in and hold vigil.”

The nurse left Sam with Grandpa, and they paused at the doors as they talked.

“How’s my baby?”

“She should emerge unscathed. But it will be a while. Have you been told what happened to her?”

“Not specifically. I’ve really only woke up, and been to see Pete. Nobody has talked to me yet.”

“You remember the fight.”

“Yes.”

“When the chain impacted you it shattered Rabeka’s ribs, and spine. She was not breathing when she was brought here. The eight talents that worked in shifts, directed by a gifted doctor, have reconstructed the structure, but her body must actually heal the damage.”

“Let me see her.”

Grandpa pushed Sam into the ward visitor’s area. Sam was directed to an isolation tank. Rabeka floated in the tank with bubbling fluid in it. A tube was connected to her face, and monitor wires to her body. Grandpa tapped the glass wall and got a nurse in a mask and hairnet to come to the intercom.

Sam let the nurse explain.

“The tank circulates a warm fluid. It is similar to what is in the womb as the baby grows. It helps healing. Give her a week, maybe two, and she should be well enough to take home.”

Sam put her hands and head against the glass and wept.