HEART OF THE COUNTRY SHORT STORY COLLECTION: ARMBRISTER, NICK: 9798681128694: Amazon.com: Books
Welcome to NICK ARMBRISTER/JIMMY BOOM SEMTEX's blog where a variety of writing is posted including old and new work, book extracts, new project updates, book/blog links, photos and more. Watch this space for news on new books, projects, open mic sets and more. Keep it alternative and creative. Life is about being an individual and writing! Rock n roll \m/ :)
Sunday, 14 June 2026
Riga Holdings
Riga Holdings
Riga never
missed Pedro after she left him. She knew he missed her for he said it in many
emails. These she ignored. Once Riga got a message. It was off her ex-husband.
He said Pedro did something bad and was held in a facility. Riga went to see
him. Pedro never knew she was there. He was held in a secure room. There were
two pin hole cameras filming him. The two-way mirror was obsolete. The small
gal felt many emotions. Memories at their old relationship. Guilt at the time
with Pedro and not with her dad. And bad over how she treated him 2025. I was
with you and not my dad when we climbed all those mountains. Are you thinking
of me now? Good or bad thoughts? What did you do to end up in here? I know you
still love me and want me. I know you've met somebody else. Does she know of me
and what we did? How much did you tell her? You always caused the problems
Pedro. Taking me away from my gals and my father. You deserved what I did to
you. Why do I feel bad about that? I told you I'm a bitch and I am. Yet I'm not
a bad person. Though I may act like a bad gal. Something very bad will happen
to you here. After their debilitations on what you did. If only you knew I was
here. But I think that would finally break you. More than when I hurt you in
25. I could save you in all ways. Fix how you feel about me, fix us, get you
out of here. But I will not. I will observe you a while then leave and forget
about you. As the world will forget about you after your sentence is passed. I
hear the sentence really hurts. I'm sorry for all the pain you endured and will
do. Please forgive me Pedro. I'll always love you. I'm sorry you ended up this
way. Now I must move on with my life. Riga left the holding facility. Pedro was
oblivious to her presence. Yet knew she was close in his heart. Till his last
breath...
***
Thursday, 11 June 2026
Riga Tens
Riga Tens
Riga knew a
few things. She knew that when you had love it meant something. You kept hold
of it. Most people equated this to staying with the person. She did not. Take
Pedro. Riga would always love him. To her this did not mean staying with him.
She kept it quiet from most people. It was none of their fucking business!
Bitch. There had been no excuse for Riga treating Pedro like shit. She left him
and this wounded him. He reached out to be friends. At this point she still
cared. They tried to be friends and failed. His unstable moods riled the small bad-tempered
female. Triggered her and made her furious. This is what partly wrecked the
chances of being friends. As did his powerful love for her. As did her own
moods and treatment of him. She told him: What you want is not possible. That
would still make me your mistress. That involves love making, going for coffee,
hiking, time together etc. Riga knew this was the time she cut Pedro off. There
would be no going back. Though she still loved him. It hit her at times.
Unbalanced her. Her own emotions controlling her. This made the little critical
thinking female ever madder. She ruled her emotions with a hammer. Like always
ruled the big soldier. Riga felt bad about that. Yet she was Riga and always
this way. And he deserved it. Look at the size of the lazy soldier half breed!
She did miss him, his company, his spirit, his soul, his aura, his green eyes,
their rampant insane sex life. She missed being a real fucking bitch with him.
Shouting at him and stamping her feet till the fool cried. Oh, I was such a
bitch with Pedro. I still love him. I could fix this in an afternoon. Yet
refuse to do so. I blame him for time away from my father and daughters. This
is so easy to fix yet I will not. Poor Pedro. How badly I treated him in 2025.
He can handle it. Pedro the lazy half breed soldier. Why must I be this way?
Look, my temper overcame my critical thinking...
***
Saturday, 6 June 2026
Europa Poems by Nick Armbrister
my new anti war poem book
The poems here were featured in several volumes of anti-war poetry jointly written with author Andy N. These are Nick’s poems. A Europa book 8 will be written in future. The message in the poems is that war is not the answer.
https://www.xinxii.com/fiction-literature-1/poetry-6?product_id=536558
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H4BK3G3G/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
https://books2read.com/u/bWnPEM
Thursday, 4 June 2026
Riga bookish
Sunday, 31 May 2026
My Husband the Whore Collection Kindle Edition by Jimmy Boom Semtex (Author
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D3QF6PJ
Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Displays Settings
Displays Settings
Look at our TV screen setup. Images on a screen. Seen from metres away. The image on the left is you. The image on the right is me. We are scanned by the day TV camera and night Infrared cameras. You look different, and so do I. Bits of objects. Fading into sight. Displayed on two displays. The system uses two cameras. It allows us to be viewed. You are writing your stage play. I am playing a video game. All caught on black and white TV and green and yellow on the heat screen. Blurry confusing images. Sense can be made of them if you know how. You look like a wraith. Sat down, leaning over the notepad with your pen. How odd both TV screen images look. The day camera image is the best. You look oddly good in black and white. I see your legs stretched out. The curve of your thighs and slim waist. I am almost violent by comparison. Doing my shoot 'em up game. See my hands move this way and that. Pounding the side controller. Really giving it something. The screen I look at is surreal on both TVs. It can be seen, but nothing makes sense. Looking at a screen thru a screen. I cannot focus on both day and night viewing screens as I look on my gaming display. It's all recorded on old video tape. The computer transcribes this digitally. It's done this way for a reason. The 1960s day TV camera and 1970s Infrared scanner are classic. I struggled for months to find these items. Old military surplus. It took me weeks to wire them up. Now i see you write and I play my game. Later tell me your views. Can this setup be improved baby? We will discuss this after we make love. After our creative activities are done.***
Sunday, 24 May 2026
some of my book links on d2d
By: Nick Armbrister
https://books2read.com/u/4X925a
https://books2read.com/u/3LAVx1
new poems
Little bird flies along/small bits matter now/protect what is yours
Zonking
Go to work
with a hangover
After
drinking half a litre
Of Petrol Brand brandy
While
reading and listening to music
Midweek half
way turn training
For GQ voice
in the call centre
Wish I drank
the other half
But I needed
sleep or can't work
Another day
in paradise
Not stuck in the rain
Now in the
back of a VX
Looking at
passing gals
One in the
jeep such legs
Sit her on
my knee kiss her
She's half
my age oh my!
Let's go
babe party time
Recognize
It's always
this way
Bounced
about in the back
While going
to work
Do the job
remember the training
Get some
perks on the way
Meet a gal
in the van
Get good
incentives
Be rewarded
for performance
Make new
friends there
Hear some
mad stories
Lose some
mates to life
Crashes
drugs shootings
Avoid those
yourself
And maybe
you'll make it
Where will
we go tomorrow?
To the
resort to swim
Run at me,
bolo!/you wanna hurt me with that?/bazooka time, jerk!
Careers
Events on
the horizon and horizon on the events
Now I know
what it means to be here in this place
All the
opportunities good and bad
Get a job
work five days a week
This is a given
you need money
And the give
provides it
Unless you
take another opportunity
Like being
an alternative businessman
Delivering packages
to certain people
We know its
drugs, guns or money
Don’t ask
what’s inside though t’s a given
You drive an
old reliable car the cop will ignore it
Is doing
this better than a normal 9-5 job?
I’ll let you
explain it all to me
Friday, 22 May 2026
Sarah bad ass
Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Riga powerless
Friday, 15 May 2026
Riga Infinite Angel (written by AI edited by me)
Riga
Infinite Angel (written by AI edited by me)
1
Scene 1: Tactical Deployment
(Southern Chile)
The cold in the Andes cuts like a
knife. Riga crouches in the brush. Her mind slips. She sees her father's face.
Location: Southern hills, Chile. Weather: Freezing rain. High winds. Objective:
Reconnaissance on an illegal weapons depot. A twig snaps. Riga freezes. Her
finger tightens on the trigger. The Threat: Two armed guards walking the
perimeter. The Distraction: A memory of Dhaka flashes. Her dad's funeral. The
smell of incense. The Correction: Breathe. Focus. Clear the sight picture. She
lets the guards pass. The target is noted. Her mind is back in the game. For
now.
Scene 2: Next Chapter Opening (Time
Jump)
Six months passed. The Southern
Hemisphere winter turned to spring. Riga remained in South America. Timeline:
Late 2026. Status: Contract extended. Three successful extractions completed.
Physical Condition: Leaner. Faster. Sleepless. Logistics: Madrid is a world
away. Pedro is still building Eurofighters. No contact. The grief did not
leave. It just settled into the bone. A permanent weight.
Scene 3: Flashback Mission (The
Asset Hunt)
Five years ago. A joint operation in
a crowded marketplace. This was where Pedro proved himself. The Setup: Sniper
coverage on a rogue informant. The Problem: Crosswinds at 30 knots. Crowded
streets. Moving target. The Action: The target broke rank. Riga was blocked by
a transport truck. She couldn't take the shot. The Save: One crisp crack from
the north ridge. Pedro fired. A .308 round went clean through the gap in the
truck windows. Target down. Clean drop.
Riga smiled through her scope. The
fool really could shoot.
2
Scene 1: The Andes Firefight
The reconnaissance turned loud. The
two perimeter guards doubled back. A drone hummed overhead. Thermal imaging.
Riga was exposed. Action: Riga rolled behind a granite outcrop. Weapon: Steyr
AUG carbine. 5.56mm. Suppressed. Execution: First guard rounded the rock. Riga
fired twice. Center mass. Drop. The Glitch: The second guard fired blindly. A
bullet chipped the granite. Dust hit Riga's eyes. Her father's voice echoed:
Check your flanks. Recovery: She blinked away the sting. She did not look. She
tracked the sound of boots on wet shale. The Finish: Pivot. Pivot fast. One
shot to the throat. Silence returned to the hills. The drone still hovered. She
needed to move.
Scene 2: The Coded Message
Communication was restricted. Safe
channels only. Pedro used an encrypted dead-drop server in Zurich. The text was
hidden inside aviation blueprint metadata.
text
FROM: M-400 (Madrid) TO: S-200
(Santiago) DATE: 16-MAY-2026 R. Assembly line is loud. The titanium welding
reminds me of the range. Production on the wing assemblies is ahead of
schedule. The flat is empty. Lisbon was better. I heard about the Andes
contract. Too cold. Too high. Do not let your guard down. Your father always
praised your focus. Keep it. P.
Use code with caution.
Riga read it once. She deleted the
file. She did not reply.
Scene 3: The Father's Rules
Her father was military
intelligence. Old school. Rigid. He did not raise a daughter; he trained an
asset. The rules were absolute. Rule 1: Emotion is a signature. It leaves a
thermal trail. Hide it. Rule 2: Never love anyone more than your exit strategy.
Rule 3: A error of judgement by a civilian is an accident. A error of judgement
by an operative is a funeral. Rule 4: Honor the contract. The government pays
for the result, not the effort. Rule 5: If you are compromised domestically,
cut the cord immediately. No goodbyes. She broke Rule 5 for Pedro. Her father
died right after. The guilt felt like a judgment.
3
Scene 1: The Drone and the Handler
The drone dropped lower, searching
the granite ledge. Its lens glowed infra-red. Riga unclipped her EMP jammer.
Action: Trigger pressed. High-frequency pulse emitted. Result: The drone
sputtered, spiraled, and crashed into the shale. A voice crackled in her
earpiece. It was Alejandro, her local handler based in Santiago. Alejandro:
"Riga. Telemetry showed your heart rate spiked before the kill. You froze
for 1.8 seconds." Riga: "Rock dust in my eyes. Issue resolved."
Alejandro: "You are lying. The grief is making you slow. If you slip
again, I terminate the contract myself." Riga cut the feed. He was right.
She was slipping.
Scene 2: Breaking Rule 2
The escape route was compromised.
Alejandro had leaked her position to the local militia to clean up the mess.
Troops closed in on her cabin. The Situation: Surrounded. Heavy artillery
incoming. The Rule: Rule 2: Never love anyone more than your exit strategy. The
Violation: Her exit strategy was a solo trek north. But she stopped. She opened
her pack and retrieved a satellite phone. She dialed Pedro’s secure line in
Madrid. The Call: "Pedro. It's compromised. Don't go back to Lisbon. Stay
in Madrid. I love you." Pedro: "Riga? What's happening?" She
smashed the phone. She had wasted 30 seconds of her escape window just to
protect him. A fatal civilian mistake.
Scene 3: The Flash
The hills of Southern Chile lit up.
It was not artillery. It was not the militia. The sky turned blinding, absolute
white. A silent, terrifying glare that erased the mountains, the pine trees,
and the falling rain. A nuclear detonation. The shockwave had not arrived yet,
but the thermal radiation was instantaneous. The skin on Riga's hands began to
blister. The granite outcrop before her began to melt into glass. She did not
run. There was nowhere to run. She stood upright in the brilliant, burning
light. She closed her eyes. She thought of the state-of-the-art firing range in
Dhaka. She thought of her three daughters holding their pistols. She thought of
her father's face. She remembered Pedro and how he always loved her. The
shockwave hit. The sound was deafening, or perhaps it was total silence.
Everything dissolved into white.
Scene 4: Project Conclusion
The story ends here on this
ambiguous note. We do not know who dropped the bomb, why Chile was targeted, or
if Riga somehow survived the blast radius inside a bunker or mountain cleft.
4
Scene 1: Epilogue: Madrid to Dhaka
The news from South America was
non-existent. A total communications blackout over the southern grid. The media
called it an atmospheric anomaly. Pedro knew better. He knew the blinding light
meant the end of the contract.
Scene 2: The Return
Two months later, Pedro landed at
Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The Dhaka heat was suffocating. He
carried one leather duffel bag. Inside were his old shooting medals and a
single .45 caliber casing.
He took a taxi directly to
Gulshan-1. He knew where they would be.
Scene 3: The Meeting at the Range
The indoor firing range was cool,
loud, and smelled of cordite. Three young girls stood at the 25-meter lane.
They moved with absolute synchronization. Raise weapon. Firing stance. Aim. Two
rounds each, center mass. Pedro stood behind the glass, watching. The middle
daughter turned. She noticed his posture before she noticed his face. Tactical
awareness. Just like her mother. He walked through the heavy acoustic door. The
Middle Daughter: "The range is private today." Pedro: "I know.
Your mother told me about this place." The girls lowered their 9mm
Berettas. They looked at his eyes. They looked at his hands, checking for
threats. The Eldest: "You're Pedro. The fool who can outshoot the
instructors." Pedro smiled. The grief in his chest loosened slightly. Riga
was gone, dissolved in the white flash of the Chilean hills, but her rules
remained. Pedro: "Let me see your stance. Your grip is slightly off. I'll
show you how she did it." The three daughters nodded, stepping back to let
him into the lane. The cycle continued.
Scene 4: Project Complete
Riga... Battle commander... Mother
and survivor... The story of Riga, Pedro, and the daughters concludes here. For
now…
***
Thursday, 14 May 2026
Mansell poems
Tuesday, 12 May 2026
A Few Short Stories by Nick Armbrister (Author)
https://books2read.com/u/3GndKO
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GL2SFC3G
Riga Snow Ida
Riga Snow Ida
Riga was
over Crete. She flew her flying disc low over the sea. The warm blue water reflected
the sky. The same water and sky were reflected on the mirror smooth silver
flying machine. Her right hand moved the control column and the large disc
banked into a turn then climbed. Out of her viewing window the coast line
changed shape and form. Becoming more visible. She increased power and levelled
off. There to her right was Mount Ida. Foothills rose up from the coast
eventually ascending up almost two miles in height.
Look at that! There is still snow on
top of it. I must go there. Right now! Riga turned towards the huge peak.
Lines of other mountains were nearby. I
mustn't fly into them in my excitement!
The small
gal squinted then put on her glasses. Her brown eyes were mischievous now, full
of longing. Riga wanted to be there now. Atop Mount Ida in the snow.
"I will
fly more to the right, a slight increase in speed and climbing angle. Following
the terrain." Below the spaceship, the ground rose. Multiple ridge lines
and smaller peaks were here. Riga leaned forward and stared in awe.
This is bloody awesome! Look at the
size of Mount Ida. Simply huge. How wide is it? The altitude numbers increased into
the multiple thousands. Riga was almost to the top. The ocean was a distant
hazy blue now. Two shades lighter than the March summer sky. That was
cloudless. How can there be snow up here
if there are no snow clouds?
Riga was by
the summit now. She slowed her craft and was level. Her silver disc was
stationery. Snow reflected on it. Riga wanted to feel the snow!
"Time
to land. I will do this manually. Ok, landing gear down, forcefield off, ship
is visible. Here we go. Right on the top, at the very summit. Ok, slowly now,
just a few feet to go. There we go. Touch down..."
I'm only wearing shorts and an old t shirt.
To Hell with it. Where's my trainers? There. Got my small army camera. Time to
experience real snow again. It's been so long. Riga opened the lower hull
door in the cargo bay. She stared at the white ground. Part was flat and part
sloped down to the edge of the summit. A clear blue sky was above. Cold air
came into the door opening. Riga left the fields and shields off. It was safe
here.
In a bound
the small gal jumped down. And landed in two feet of snow! She plopped down on
her butt. It was cold! Her hands felt the cold white snow and patted it and
slapped it. Coldness chilled her legs. With her left fingers she scooped up
some snow and tasted it. You guessed it, it was cold! Riga yelped like a school
gal. It was kilig time! All full of giggles. She jumped up and ran about in
circles, dancing skipping and acting the fool. She screeched and made girly
noises.
"Snow
snow snow! Here I am atop Mount Ida. Brought here by my spaceship. Look look
look! It's so coooooold..." Riga rubbed herself and doubled up, rubbing
her legs and back and sides. "Cold snow, all belonging to Riga. And Mount
Ida. At least just for now. Mount Ida and snow all for Riga. Mine mine
mine..."
Where is that lazy Pedro? I bet he
would like this. Oh yes, he's on guard duty in Antarctica. A pity I never went
there and abducted him then brought him here. Like a starstruck lover Riga again
danced in the snow. She picked a large handful and made a snowball. This she
threw at her flying disc. It thudded off the armoured alloy side. Again, she
made a snowball. This time she ate some of it. It was cold and froze her teeth
and belly when she swallowed it. Silly Riga! Now cold Riga.
More
prancing in the snow till her small legs were red with cold. Now shivering, she
returned to the ship. Totally exhilarated a little tired and quite cold. She
clapped her hands and closed the lower door. Her glasses were all fogged up.
She ordered the computer to turn up the heating. Riga stripped off her shorts
and t shirt and underwear and ran to the shower. She set the water to hot and
jumped in. It stung her skin and she yelped. Her grin said it all. Riga all
alone atop Mount Ida absolutely loving it. It rarely was better than this. She
had some good video tape on her army camera. Her friends would think she was
mad!
***







