Ohh. An older one. Well, I'm trying to keep the old backlog down. Let's see
how this one goes:

    3

  It had happened so long ago that I had nothing but blurry
memories at best from the whole incident. I knew it had been
distant because I remembered that the city had still been in the late
stages of constructing itself. I had been the son of a Mandate-
hopeful politician and his better looking sister-in-law. An
embarrassing bastard child, I was sent to live at the Boy's
Academy in the northeast side of the city. I was there until I
graduated at 18, and was sent to the College to be trained in
diplomacy.

It didn't take. :)

  During this time my mother had married my father after her
sister, his wife, died in a strange manner.

My. What a surprise. It shows a certain bit of ruthlessness on her part to
allow that to happen to her sister so she could move up in the world.

The media was not

oppressive about this, because they were ordered not to be. Only
the independent presses even published the fact, but even they
were more concerned with recent civil rights violations. The
problem that began to hang over our heads was the fact that the
first time I tried to run for an office, my competitors would
immediately dig up this little fact about my life. My own mother
had never been an actual suspect in her sister's death, but she could
be made to look very guilty if a PR team slanted it that way. For
that reason she had begged me not to be a politician, and I had
obeyed her.

Makes sense. Nice background there.

  The only other career choice for the son of an important
man was the Special Forces. They did not accept applications from
anyone under twenty-two, so I remained in College on Lanz Island
until that time, studying eastern philosophy

I think eastern might need to be capitalized there. Not certain, though.

 and literature. I was

smart, healthy,

gay as a participant in a Dorothy Parade.

and had few attachments aside from my friends,

and sniffing glue.

and that made me ideal Special Forces material.

  When I finally joined, I was trained in everything that
could possibly be used to hurt someone. It was not as much fun as
philosophy, but I liked being good at things. I eventually threw
away all my books and put all of my concentration and effort into
dealing out punishment to people breaking the law. I was bound
for medals, and eventually a seat behind the Director's desk. (Of
course I died for the first time before any of that happened, and so
my memories are mostly of the College.)

Heh.

even though the ideology had never changed. The young possess
energy and zeal, and naturally make better rulers.

Nah. They have no temperment that comes from wisdom and experience. :)

And as long no

one with an original idea was ever appointed, the system coughed,
sputtered, and worked.

  Having resigned myself to life

to a life

 devoid of intellectual

challenge, I read as much as I could while I still had the professors

think I'd drop that 'the'

  There are very hazy and obscure images I can recall of
another student with whom I spent a year on the College's eighty
four acres of land extending away from the industrial areas of the
Island. He answered my add

ad

  At first it was just the fighting, but then it spread to our
other classes and our personal lives. We silently competed at
everything; grades, athletics, and eventually women. He turned out
to be just a little smarter than me, but I was stronger. I was able to
handle him on the mat and outside in the field. But in a desk it was
much closer. He had a way of forcing thought out of head and
demanding it to dance for him on paper.

That setence feels awkward as hell. I'd try changing it around somehow,
though how is eluding my mind at the moment.

  I was

It

 not until a few months before my graduation that I

finally heard from him. James called me one night and told me to
meet him outside near the northern edge of the grounds where the
rock dropped off a thousand feet down.

Hmm. Set up?

winning more than I lost. James had never been satisfied with the
outcomes of our matches, and had always insisted that we make it
a little more specific and a little more serious. Tonight was no
exception, and finally he threw the gun down and demanded that
our dispute be settled forever.

Hmm. Suspected something like that.

  James stepped thirty feet back from the edge, leaned
forward and ran. I shouted as soon as he started, but with five feet
to go he slid on his butt and stopped before going off. I asked him
what the hell he was thinking, and he outlined the ordeal. Who
ever had the balls to run as fast as he could before stopping at the
edge would win. I thought he was crazy.

Either he is or it's a plan.

  I only learned to understand that shortly before I was killed
myself two years later, at last a matured man.

Don't worry. You'll get some more chances. :)

  Chris walked a few steps toward me up the wide dome. He
was moving like a snake, constantly and dangerously. He was a
much faster draw then

'than' (I think)

  "She said you have a thing about dying, that it doesn't seem
to completely work on you. Every time your life is in danger, you
somehow find a way to eek back into existence. Is that true?"

Ah, like Yakumo from 3X3 Eyes. One of these days I have to do something with
him and his inablity to die.

  "When the hell did you talk to Alethea? I haven't seen her
for more than twenty four hours! Rufius has her."

  Chris was a few steps closer again, and he was eyeing me
intently. I don't know why he even bothered, he could kill me from
there. Which meant maybe he still thought I had the psionics.

Yep. That makes sense.

  "He wasn't our boss."

  "Oh yes he was. While you and he worked on the Yuma
machine years ago, the old woman and I were stealing all the
equipment to build it. When I wasn't training the men, all my time
was spent robbing the rest of Ventiss bare. That's the whole reason
we based our front company in that part of the city. I had been told
White intended to fully restore you memory

your memory

  "Now I know that's a lie," I said raising my voice and
stepping back. "They were talking easily back in Ventiss while I
was getting put into the merusion chamber. You were there too, all
four of us."

  "No. That was only because both of them were worried
about you. This was before White had given up on your power
maturing, and it was still a high priority to keep you alive. The old
woman would have given you her kidney if you needed it. That's
the only reason she and Alethea talked."

Hmm. Half truth, I'd wager.

  "Some of what Alethea may have told you is true. Her
father worked directly on the chambers, trying to get you all
maturing properly. When it worked on him and his then-devoted
wife, they tried it on Alethea. She did not have nearly the potential
they had hoped for, so they gave up and looked for another student.
Though her cellular reactivity was perfect, she seemed some how

somehow

  Chris looked at me and then let his jaw drop a little.
"Because *I* want her?! Are you insane? Me and her? How did you
dream that up??"

  "I don't know." And I didn't, it appeared.

Ah, but who knows. Perhaps Chris is a masochist and only likes women that
hate him. :)

machine or Rufius' personal plans, she did need them for one
thing. Our new plan to overthrow the Mandate rested heavily on
our having one or more psionics users. We thought we had you,
but then Alethea flipped out and ruined it when she tried to kill
you. She was actually under her old man's orders. Why she left us
for him in the first place is beyond me. She's too unpredictable."

Bah. She just has her own agenda. Like Chris himself. :)

  Chris was pacing closer to me and seemed overly involved
in the dialogue. It suddenly occurred to me that I might be able to
whip out my own gun before he drew on me, as long as he stayed
occupied. But trying to keep up with him was getting frustrating
because the only question I wanted answered was who's

whose

idea it had

been to betray me.

And it was probably Zig. The one closest to you and all that . :)

had given you a way to further those ends. And the best thing is
that all the power I have is unconditional, thanks to you. I'm in
charge of every insurrectionary operation. You must have trained
them well because its

it;s

  "What about me?! You knew they wanted me dead back
when they tried to get Alethea to do the job. I was locked in a
mirrored cage for three days, and then hunted like an animal when
Zig and I got free! You said I was your prot�g�; why deliver me to
the hands of the enemy? Just so Rufius wouldn't be angry with
you?"

Chris: Hey, sacrfices had to be made. Better you than me.

  "I understand." I shook my head a little. "It's never
personal with you, is it?"

  "No," he said. "With this much on the line it can't be."

Sure it can. I like to call it 'fringe benefits.' Not only is it necessary
to kill a person, but at the same time it's fun too. :)

The big fight should be good.

D.B. Sommer

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