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I may write a real LiveJournal-y update later, but for right now, I was just proud I finally got some solid actual writing down in AbiWord for one of my stories, and I wanted to post it here for any thoughts you guys might have. I decided to start with my comic universe style story, so...I hope you enjoy it.
If you do read it, and I hope you do, feel free to be brutal in anything you have to say. If I wrote anything particularly choppy, tell me. If you think my dialogue is weak, tell me. If something feels forced, by god, please tell me. If there are spelling errors...yeah, I do that some time. I apologize. :) I try to be careful, but I haven't edited it for detail yet. I just fixed up some content I did not like thus far.
It's only about 5 pages of word processor, so don't be afraid. It won't bite. Thanks in advance!
The Chosen: Three Years Later
Book 1
Three years later...
Patrick Henderson was preparing for the biggest interview of his life. He knew what a coup it had been for the American Broadcast Company to be granted the first interview with the now-former governor of Colorado. There was an excited buzz all around as his camera crew determined the perfect angles to take, the lighting team debated over the exact intensity needed, and even the catering staff focused on the food arrangement being just right. Henderson ignored most of it; he was in his zone. He reached toward his lapel and fidgeted with his microphone as he thought about the millions of eyes that were about to be on him--it was probably double his weekly audience, maybe more. He leaned down as he stared into the mirror ahead of him and ran his steady hand through the part in his hair; he wished those bastards at CBS that wouldn't give him a weekly news show could see him now. He allowed himself a slight laugh aloud as he realized that in a few moments, they could.
He was soon rushed quickly onto his set, and the cameras started rolling; he was surprised to find exactly how much focus it took to maintain his composure in the face of his only guest of the night, Elizabeth Walters. Henderson first realized how tall she was in person, at least edging on a solid six feet. As they exchanged pleasantries, her deep brown eyes held fast with his, and she gave a toothy smile. He realized the palms of his hands were hot as he sat back down in his seat; finally, it was time for business.
"Obviously, let's start with what the American people want to know: what makes you qualified to be the new, and first ever, Secretary of Extra-Human Affairs?"
Secretary Walters tilted her head, the toothy smile returning, "Well, I suppose because President Green called me!" she joked, taking a second to let Henderson laugh. "No, of course. I think he saw that in Colorado, we were the first state of the union to enact several policies in regards to extra-human activity. We added more police officers to our streets. We created outreach programs, influencing those with the active extra-human gene to register with the government and be subsidized for helping with state government programs such as road construction, and, you know, things like that. Under my leadership, we were the first state to recognize both the positives and the negatives of the situation we have been presented with."
"Let's touch on that. You mentioned that you added police officers before you mentioned the outreach assistance programs. Do you believe that it is more important that we can police the--I believe the term being used is gene-positive--is it more important we police them, than we find ways to help them register their identities and work with the government?"
Walters folder her bottom lip over her top as she thought very briefly, "No, I don't think either is more important than the other; the officers just happened to jump to mind first, mainly because their bravery in Colorado. And, of course we are going to be primarily concerned with the safety of Americans everywhere, so making sure those that are gene-positive are not using their....are not hurting people is our primary concern. But that can be done with more than just security actions. Outreach assistance programs, as you said. Medical treatments, if we can find a way to reverse the positive gene. We in the Department of Extra-Human Affairs are leaving all options on the table while we organize."
"I want to shift gears slightly here before we come back to what particulars you and your Department have in mind. I would be remiss if we didn't cover this next topic more fully." Patrick Henderson cleared his throat and mustered his most powerful straight-ahead stare as he reached out his hand and asked, "When announcing you as the first ever Secretary of Extra-Human Affairs, President Green mentioned that you would be heading up 'Operation Elite'. Can you elaborate on that?"
"Yes, I...I certainly can. "She shifted her weight in her seat and all remnants of her pleasant smile vanished. "Operation Elite is a project I've been charged with that will having me working very closely with our armed forces. I obviously can not divulge all details, but it will be a national level security force to deal with...crises that emerge in the wake of our new national and worldwide situation. The premise being that not all members of the gene-positive community are going to be...eager to work with us. And we don't know everything about all the gene-positives out there. How clever they are, how dangerous they are."
---
"Oh, God damn it!"
"What?"
"I just...I filled my pop too much, and when I tried to put the lid on, it splashed all over me."
"Tell me again about all the scholarships that are putting you through school."
"I just washed these pants. Ack."
"You can just wash them again."
"Yeah, but that's a waste."
"Wow, really?"
"I wonder if no one will notice?"
Smith Warner pushed his bangs out of his eyes after shaking his head at his high school friend Vinny Mansfield. It had been a long time since the two of them had been in any semblance of regular contact--three years since their senior year when they had been used as a kind of errand boy for an all-powerful being known as The Entity. Vinny had not changed much. His unkempt hair was growing out even more, and he was still wearing the same bland preppy polo shirts and khakis.
"Are you sure you don't want anything?" Vinny asked as he motioned towards a table for the two of them to sit down at and catch up.
"Oh, yes, please. Lots of delicious vegetarian options here at Burger King."
"You're still on that trendy shit?"
Smith arched an eyebrow. "Not wanting to eat another living animal isn't trendy."
"Mooo," Vinny smiled, holding up his Whopper.
"Yes, that's right. Make fun."
"I love cow. Cow is good," Vinny sang, motioning his finger in the air to conduct himself.
"I can't wait until your arteries clog and you have a heart attack."
"Me, neither!" He bit down into his burger.
Smith decided to shift gears, his band's habit of spreading the message of vegetarian benefits had made the sight of others eating meat disgusting. "Uh, are any of the others coming?"
"Yeah, I doubt that."
"Why?"
Vinny shrugged, setting his burger down to explain. "Pitt's playing their home opener game this weekend, so Aaron'll be at practice pretty much all week. Becky just refuses to have anything to do with her powers anymore--"
"Shh!"
"...and Nate. Yeah, Nate. He'd, uh, he'd just as soon rip my throat out as talk to me."
"Wait, Nate?"
Vinny nodded, digging back into his sandwich.
"That seems...unlike I remember you two being."
Vinny glanced out the window, staring at the people walking down the Oakland sidewalk. "Yeah, things changed a bit."
Smith let the sentence hang for a moment, waiting for the follow-up that was apparently not coming. "So I am going to go ahead and assume there is a reason for this animosity."
"Oh yeah. There totally is."
Another pause. Again, no subsequent details.
"And it is...?"
Vinny reached out and patted him once on the cheek. "Maybe when you're older." He grinned.
Smith rolled his tongue in his mouth. In high school, and especially after The Entity had gotten involved in all their lives, Vinny and Nate Lyons were inseparable friends. They had classes together, they went to shows together, they worked the most fluidly together in the heat of battle with whatever was thrown at them. Becky Stern had never cared for what they were forced to go through, so it was fairly sensible to Smith that she would be happy to put everything behind her, but the thought that Vinny and Nate were now no longer friends was curious.
"Well, while we're playing Cryptic Catch-Up, have you heard anything from Angel?"
Now it was Smith's turn, he realized, to have to think about something he did not want to. He had, in fact, not heard from Angel once in the past few years. After they had all been used by The Entity, she had vanished, along with Static and Freak. He had spent much of the last three years almost hoping that Static would spring some new trap for himself and the others, if only he could see her face again. He hated these feelings; he had no idea if they were even real, or just part of her illusion, but he knew he could not stop thinking about her, even all these years later. "No," he finally managed, "not a word."
"Hey, it's cool. Don't worry. She was really broken up when she learned that she was created just to test us, you know?"
"Yeah, I know."
"You ask me, it's really poetic for her of all people to find out everything you thought was true was actually a lie..."
Smith glared at Vinny for a moment.
"But," Vinny continued, undaunted, "we'll run across them again and get her head back on straight."
Smith ignored the comment; he had no idea what was going through Angel's head, and it was her life now. "So why did you want to catch up? It doesn't seem like anything has changed now, after all this time. Everyone's kind of drifted apart. Entity's gone. Why now?"
For possibly the first time since they met outside the Burger King, the joy of the reunion seemed to fade from Vinny's face. The smile was gone, and there was no more light in his eyes. He looked back outside the window as if to gather himself.
"You don't feel it?"
"What am I feeling?"
"All this gene-positive stuff now. The President just created, like, a whole new Cabinet position to deal with it. Anytime anyone with these powers does anything, it's, like, major news."
"You think this is bad news for us?"
"Us. Everyone. I don't know. They're going to come up with a way to test for this."
"Test?" Smith asked. It was not something he had thought much about.
"I know Aaron told me that professional sports are all in an uproar because they can't tell who is a great athlete as opposed to who can throw trucks around. And airport security is a mess now because you can't just send people through a metal detector and be all like, 'oh hey, you can set the plane on fire with a thought!' Then there's talk about the implications of putting these people into the military..."
"I'm not joining the military."
"Yeah, that's what I'm saying. We may not have a choice. They are putting together a whole thing like the FBI, but just for us."
"I...hadn't really thought too hard about it. I've been on the road touring the last few months with Alex and Dave. I heard a few details, but I figured it was just trying to think of ways to keep the criminals in jail."
Vinny shook his head, then sighed. "I don't know. Maybe. Maybe it'll just start out like that."
Smith stared down at the table, focusing hard on a ketchup stain. "This is the most fun get-together I've had in a while, by the way. Thanks for this."
Vinny smiled again. "Yeah, I...yeah. This was...I am a harbinger of cheer."
"You could just teleport all their heads off. No more problem."
"I could. Maybe after I'm done eating my cow, Mr. All Life Is Sooo Sacred."
Smith let out a laugh as he nodded. "So besides depressing me with thoughts of superhero internment camp, I assume you had a reason for wanting to meet me and talk about this. You must have an idea."
His former classmate and partner swallowed the last of his Whopper. Smith couldn't tell if he was savoring it or the words he was about to say. "I absolutely do."
If you do read it, and I hope you do, feel free to be brutal in anything you have to say. If I wrote anything particularly choppy, tell me. If you think my dialogue is weak, tell me. If something feels forced, by god, please tell me. If there are spelling errors...yeah, I do that some time. I apologize. :) I try to be careful, but I haven't edited it for detail yet. I just fixed up some content I did not like thus far.
It's only about 5 pages of word processor, so don't be afraid. It won't bite. Thanks in advance!
The Chosen: Three Years Later
Book 1
Three years later...
Patrick Henderson was preparing for the biggest interview of his life. He knew what a coup it had been for the American Broadcast Company to be granted the first interview with the now-former governor of Colorado. There was an excited buzz all around as his camera crew determined the perfect angles to take, the lighting team debated over the exact intensity needed, and even the catering staff focused on the food arrangement being just right. Henderson ignored most of it; he was in his zone. He reached toward his lapel and fidgeted with his microphone as he thought about the millions of eyes that were about to be on him--it was probably double his weekly audience, maybe more. He leaned down as he stared into the mirror ahead of him and ran his steady hand through the part in his hair; he wished those bastards at CBS that wouldn't give him a weekly news show could see him now. He allowed himself a slight laugh aloud as he realized that in a few moments, they could.
He was soon rushed quickly onto his set, and the cameras started rolling; he was surprised to find exactly how much focus it took to maintain his composure in the face of his only guest of the night, Elizabeth Walters. Henderson first realized how tall she was in person, at least edging on a solid six feet. As they exchanged pleasantries, her deep brown eyes held fast with his, and she gave a toothy smile. He realized the palms of his hands were hot as he sat back down in his seat; finally, it was time for business.
"Obviously, let's start with what the American people want to know: what makes you qualified to be the new, and first ever, Secretary of Extra-Human Affairs?"
Secretary Walters tilted her head, the toothy smile returning, "Well, I suppose because President Green called me!" she joked, taking a second to let Henderson laugh. "No, of course. I think he saw that in Colorado, we were the first state of the union to enact several policies in regards to extra-human activity. We added more police officers to our streets. We created outreach programs, influencing those with the active extra-human gene to register with the government and be subsidized for helping with state government programs such as road construction, and, you know, things like that. Under my leadership, we were the first state to recognize both the positives and the negatives of the situation we have been presented with."
"Let's touch on that. You mentioned that you added police officers before you mentioned the outreach assistance programs. Do you believe that it is more important that we can police the--I believe the term being used is gene-positive--is it more important we police them, than we find ways to help them register their identities and work with the government?"
Walters folder her bottom lip over her top as she thought very briefly, "No, I don't think either is more important than the other; the officers just happened to jump to mind first, mainly because their bravery in Colorado. And, of course we are going to be primarily concerned with the safety of Americans everywhere, so making sure those that are gene-positive are not using their....are not hurting people is our primary concern. But that can be done with more than just security actions. Outreach assistance programs, as you said. Medical treatments, if we can find a way to reverse the positive gene. We in the Department of Extra-Human Affairs are leaving all options on the table while we organize."
"I want to shift gears slightly here before we come back to what particulars you and your Department have in mind. I would be remiss if we didn't cover this next topic more fully." Patrick Henderson cleared his throat and mustered his most powerful straight-ahead stare as he reached out his hand and asked, "When announcing you as the first ever Secretary of Extra-Human Affairs, President Green mentioned that you would be heading up 'Operation Elite'. Can you elaborate on that?"
"Yes, I...I certainly can. "She shifted her weight in her seat and all remnants of her pleasant smile vanished. "Operation Elite is a project I've been charged with that will having me working very closely with our armed forces. I obviously can not divulge all details, but it will be a national level security force to deal with...crises that emerge in the wake of our new national and worldwide situation. The premise being that not all members of the gene-positive community are going to be...eager to work with us. And we don't know everything about all the gene-positives out there. How clever they are, how dangerous they are."
---
"Oh, God damn it!"
"What?"
"I just...I filled my pop too much, and when I tried to put the lid on, it splashed all over me."
"Tell me again about all the scholarships that are putting you through school."
"I just washed these pants. Ack."
"You can just wash them again."
"Yeah, but that's a waste."
"Wow, really?"
"I wonder if no one will notice?"
Smith Warner pushed his bangs out of his eyes after shaking his head at his high school friend Vinny Mansfield. It had been a long time since the two of them had been in any semblance of regular contact--three years since their senior year when they had been used as a kind of errand boy for an all-powerful being known as The Entity. Vinny had not changed much. His unkempt hair was growing out even more, and he was still wearing the same bland preppy polo shirts and khakis.
"Are you sure you don't want anything?" Vinny asked as he motioned towards a table for the two of them to sit down at and catch up.
"Oh, yes, please. Lots of delicious vegetarian options here at Burger King."
"You're still on that trendy shit?"
Smith arched an eyebrow. "Not wanting to eat another living animal isn't trendy."
"Mooo," Vinny smiled, holding up his Whopper.
"Yes, that's right. Make fun."
"I love cow. Cow is good," Vinny sang, motioning his finger in the air to conduct himself.
"I can't wait until your arteries clog and you have a heart attack."
"Me, neither!" He bit down into his burger.
Smith decided to shift gears, his band's habit of spreading the message of vegetarian benefits had made the sight of others eating meat disgusting. "Uh, are any of the others coming?"
"Yeah, I doubt that."
"Why?"
Vinny shrugged, setting his burger down to explain. "Pitt's playing their home opener game this weekend, so Aaron'll be at practice pretty much all week. Becky just refuses to have anything to do with her powers anymore--"
"Shh!"
"...and Nate. Yeah, Nate. He'd, uh, he'd just as soon rip my throat out as talk to me."
"Wait, Nate?"
Vinny nodded, digging back into his sandwich.
"That seems...unlike I remember you two being."
Vinny glanced out the window, staring at the people walking down the Oakland sidewalk. "Yeah, things changed a bit."
Smith let the sentence hang for a moment, waiting for the follow-up that was apparently not coming. "So I am going to go ahead and assume there is a reason for this animosity."
"Oh yeah. There totally is."
Another pause. Again, no subsequent details.
"And it is...?"
Vinny reached out and patted him once on the cheek. "Maybe when you're older." He grinned.
Smith rolled his tongue in his mouth. In high school, and especially after The Entity had gotten involved in all their lives, Vinny and Nate Lyons were inseparable friends. They had classes together, they went to shows together, they worked the most fluidly together in the heat of battle with whatever was thrown at them. Becky Stern had never cared for what they were forced to go through, so it was fairly sensible to Smith that she would be happy to put everything behind her, but the thought that Vinny and Nate were now no longer friends was curious.
"Well, while we're playing Cryptic Catch-Up, have you heard anything from Angel?"
Now it was Smith's turn, he realized, to have to think about something he did not want to. He had, in fact, not heard from Angel once in the past few years. After they had all been used by The Entity, she had vanished, along with Static and Freak. He had spent much of the last three years almost hoping that Static would spring some new trap for himself and the others, if only he could see her face again. He hated these feelings; he had no idea if they were even real, or just part of her illusion, but he knew he could not stop thinking about her, even all these years later. "No," he finally managed, "not a word."
"Hey, it's cool. Don't worry. She was really broken up when she learned that she was created just to test us, you know?"
"Yeah, I know."
"You ask me, it's really poetic for her of all people to find out everything you thought was true was actually a lie..."
Smith glared at Vinny for a moment.
"But," Vinny continued, undaunted, "we'll run across them again and get her head back on straight."
Smith ignored the comment; he had no idea what was going through Angel's head, and it was her life now. "So why did you want to catch up? It doesn't seem like anything has changed now, after all this time. Everyone's kind of drifted apart. Entity's gone. Why now?"
For possibly the first time since they met outside the Burger King, the joy of the reunion seemed to fade from Vinny's face. The smile was gone, and there was no more light in his eyes. He looked back outside the window as if to gather himself.
"You don't feel it?"
"What am I feeling?"
"All this gene-positive stuff now. The President just created, like, a whole new Cabinet position to deal with it. Anytime anyone with these powers does anything, it's, like, major news."
"You think this is bad news for us?"
"Us. Everyone. I don't know. They're going to come up with a way to test for this."
"Test?" Smith asked. It was not something he had thought much about.
"I know Aaron told me that professional sports are all in an uproar because they can't tell who is a great athlete as opposed to who can throw trucks around. And airport security is a mess now because you can't just send people through a metal detector and be all like, 'oh hey, you can set the plane on fire with a thought!' Then there's talk about the implications of putting these people into the military..."
"I'm not joining the military."
"Yeah, that's what I'm saying. We may not have a choice. They are putting together a whole thing like the FBI, but just for us."
"I...hadn't really thought too hard about it. I've been on the road touring the last few months with Alex and Dave. I heard a few details, but I figured it was just trying to think of ways to keep the criminals in jail."
Vinny shook his head, then sighed. "I don't know. Maybe. Maybe it'll just start out like that."
Smith stared down at the table, focusing hard on a ketchup stain. "This is the most fun get-together I've had in a while, by the way. Thanks for this."
Vinny smiled again. "Yeah, I...yeah. This was...I am a harbinger of cheer."
"You could just teleport all their heads off. No more problem."
"I could. Maybe after I'm done eating my cow, Mr. All Life Is Sooo Sacred."
Smith let out a laugh as he nodded. "So besides depressing me with thoughts of superhero internment camp, I assume you had a reason for wanting to meet me and talk about this. You must have an idea."
His former classmate and partner swallowed the last of his Whopper. Smith couldn't tell if he was savoring it or the words he was about to say. "I absolutely do."