PHOTO PROMPT © Brenda Cox
If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.
The boat ride was boring. Just tourists from who knows where sipping overly sweet alcoholic drinks and mindlessly chattering. The only one halfway sober besides me was the guy running the engine and steering, and presumably the other guy in the little kayak thing leading the way.
The real reason I was here had nothing to do with my date or anyone else except me. In less than two minutes, the boat would be passing within two meters of the Zeta Beam impact point. I’ll be able to visit my lover on the planet Rann again for a little while.
It’s once again time to participate in the 28 April 2023 edition of Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ Friday Fictioneers. The idea is to use the image above as the prompt for a poem or story no more than 100 words long. My word count is exactly 100.
I was having a tough time being creative with the image and fell back on an old comic book hero Adam Strange. He first appeared in DC’s “Showcase” comic book (later in “Mystery in Space”) in 1957. He was an archeologist somewhere in Peru and being chased by indigenous people for stealing an artifact. He accidentally ran into a “zeta beam” sent to Earth from the planet Rann in the Alpha Centauri star system as a form of communication. Space radiation changed the beam into a teleportation beam. When Adam is hit by a beam, it instantly but temporarily sends him to that planet where (of course) he falls in love with the beautiful daughter of the scientist who sent the beams. When the beam wears off, he goes right back to Earth. But with a schedule of where and when future beams will strike (always in Earth’s southern hemisphere), he makes many trips to Rann as a space adventurer.
To read other stories based on the prompt, visit inlinkz.
To discover other aspects of my fiction writing, consider Ice.
At the end of time, the world is hot and men travel the vast oceans in merchant sailing ships. Captain Ki-Moon Yong of the Star of Jindo has discovered a new horror at the bottom of the world. Can he and the Star escape disaster long enough to warn a disbelieving world?
© James Pyles
poweredbyrobots.com 
Great story. hope he catches his beam.
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He always does, but usually he tries to hide his disappearance from Earth. This time I don’t think he will be able to. At least he’s not wearing his spacesuit.
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hehehe!
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The things people do for fun.
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In Adam’s case, what he does for adventure and love.
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I knew nothing of the Adam Strange story before reading the explanation. I think it works well without that knowledge. A teaser for something more. Nice.
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I was a big fan of the character in the 1960s when Carmine Infantino was doing the penciling. He was also my favorite artist for The Flash. Thanks.
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A convenient, if somewhat watery, meeting place in space 🙂
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Can’t control exactly where that darn beam will hit.
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Love knows no boundary, except the zeta beam.
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Fortunately, the Zeta beam instantly overcomes the barrier of over four lightyears.
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I hope he catches the zeta beam and gets the chance to visit his love. Nicely done, James! Thanks for the introduction to the old comic hero, Adam Strange.
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Thank you and you’re welcome.
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Now that’s what you call good timing 😊
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He’s working from a schedule. Thanks.
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Fun story and I hope he enjoys his home away from home.
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He always has an adventure involving a space menace, actually. Thanks.
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You’re welcome.
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I had to hold my breath here. A long distant relationship between lovers in different countries on Earth is painful enough. I hope the connection to distant planets through the Zeta Beam is the solution. Got, what a heart ache.
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I think he eventually just takes a spaceship to Rann and marries her.
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Always a happy ending.
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