Grand Theft Planetary & other stories

by HL Jones

  ***

  Almost 3 million dead in the first nuclear exchange. Exchange! It made war sound very mutual and friendly. Russian and Chinese forces landing along the west coast. Most major cities flattened. The reports in front of Theodore were straight from a wargame scenario, and they were losing. On the polished wooden desk was another set of reports – and the artefact, brought in by his scientific adviser, Trent.

  Theo picked it up and activated it. The cause of all this destruction; why didn’t he just give it up to Popov in the first place? What had they learned from it? That they couldn’t build one? They knew that before ever finding it. The unknown element powering it was the key to the object, but all attempts to open the device had proved fruitless. They didn’t know what it was for, and how it worked.

  Theo threw the antlers across the room and cursed.