JC Bybee

It has been a long time since I've taken the time to do any kind of post here.  There are a lot of reasons why, from moving, to getting our house organized, to having to deal with my physical health and my mental health.  A lot of changes that didn't leave a lot of time for much else.  The biggest problem is having to deal with my health.  Again I'm not deathly ill or anything like that, but I am not in good physical condition, by my own personal standards.  This lack of good physical health always leads to poor mental health.  My fight with depression has been harder as a result.  Each day I didn't exercise, or ate like garbage served to wear me down mentally.  It is not just mentally exhausting, but physically exhausting as well.  This added stress leads to increased migraines and an increase in apathy.  It is a vicious downward spiral that leaves me unable to do much more than take care of my kids. In November I resolved to change things.  I decided I was going

I wrote this story and submitted it to an anthology.  Unfortunately, it didn't get picked, but here it is.  I will be reworking it before publishing it officially.  Until then enjoy. The Track Meet Ace’s first view of the Pacific Northwest Testing Facility for Exceptional Athletes was impressive. It sat in the middle of nowhere in the eastern Oregon high desert, dominating the landscape for miles around. It looked very much like other arenas she’d seen, just on a massive scale. Huge grandstands, lots of parking and hundreds of billboards for the various sponsors that used the facility. The lower track, the one on the ground, was an eight-hundred-meter oval. Suspended above it with anti-gravity engines were two more. The middle track was four hundred kilometers. The top most, well above the ground to make it easier to protect spectators from sonic booms, was eight hundred kilometers. Each layer was protected by shielding, energy nets, and wind buffers. Since the sun wa

I've been working on some Hero Unit side stories to go into a small collection while Hero Unit 3 is at the editor (yes I have one now, I'm excited).  This work will coincide with my work on Hero Unit 4.  For now, here is a small excerpt from the short story titled The Kidnapping. “Detective Cavanaugh?”   The Fifth extended her hand, “Detective Ace, from New Davenport’s Third Street Precinct.” John took the offered hand and was surprised at what he didn’t feel.   He knew that the Fifth was classified as a Fortress Class, but while her handshake was firm, it didn’t have the restrained crushing, strength he was accustomed to from other members of her classification. “Detective Ace, this is my partner, James Grady.”   They exchanged introductions for the rest of her unit.   When she introduced her sister, he remembered the news story from a few months ago about the terrorist attacks in New Davenport.   That’s when the world had learned that there were two Fifths. “What