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STORY
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Ashura would find any excuse to maintain his allusion of respect. We watched as Johnson's fury visually grew.
Ashura Demon: "What do you know about commanding!?"
Johnson: "Enough to fucking say something when my chair is being eaten!"
Ashura Demon: "Watch your tone, private."
Johnson: "You can suck my private. You're not commanding anymore."
Ashura Demon: "You can't blame this on me."
Johnson: "Whoa, damn straight I can!"
Ashura Demon: "If you hadn't been so incompetent as to-"
Ashura went on for a minute. I didn't really hear what he said, not that I or anyone else cared. Johnson muttered something like "fuck this," and back handed Ashura to the floor. It shut him up for a couple seconds. He went to talk again, but Johnson grabbed him and struck again.
And again.
Mr. Samsa was sitting patiently at a table, his head resting on his fist. We stood by in silence as Johnson... vented. I probably wouldn't have approved, but I was too disconnected to care. I felt underwater.
Mr. Samsa: "That's enough, Johnson."
Johnson paused, then took a step back, allowing Ashura to fall to his hands. Samsa then arose, looking down at our cowering commander. I'm sure Ashura felt his gaze.
Mr. Samsa: "I'm relieving you of your command, Ashura. I can no longer stand by as your incompetence hinders the mission. We have work ahead of us. Feel free to fuck around, but if you're not going to help then just stay out of the way."
Samsa started dishing tasks. I zoned out, in the mean time.
Psychology is bested by technology in this age. Frontiersmen have the benifit (some might say) of nano/biotech. Normally, the body goes through a serious of chemical stages and mental states in which a person could be rendered "inefficient." Frontiersmen bypass some of that by regulating what their body does, and what nutrients it receives. If I had known this during the incident, I wouldn't have felt so embarrassed for being the wreck that I was.
Mr. Samsa: "Jack!"
My eyes flinched up. Mr. Samsa observed my weariness. Processed it. Responded.
Mr. Samsa: "Are you going to be of any use to me and my team, Jack?"
"Yes, the most I can... Uh, sir."
Mr. Samsa: "I want you to plug back into Youkja. I have specific information I need extracted. Are you mentally capable of handling this?"
"Yeah."
Mr. Samsa: "Good, let's walk."
Samsa escorted me to the Youkja. I remember walking, and the conversation. I don't remember thinking. I'm sure I must have been, because I showed all signs of being completely lost in thought. Somewhere in my instinct, I knew Samsa had a head on what was going on. I didn't. I didn't care. Our leader gave me an order to follow, and I followed. It wasn't until he spoke that I even realized what I was doing.
Mr. Samsa: "Did you write the forward in the Neon Shade?"
"What?"
Mr. Samsa: "'Beast man sin knowledge tool machine beast.'"
“No, I didn’t write it.”
Mr. Samsa: “I heard that your friend wrote it before committing suicide.”
“He was overdosing when he wrote it.”
Mr. Samsa: “Are you sure?”
“No, he could have written it before he OD'd.”
Mr. Samsa: “What do you think it meant, Jack?”
“I could go on about that subject for hours.”
Mr. Samsa: “Yeah, it’s nice. I always liked it.”
“You've read my stuff?”
Mr. Samsa: “I’ve read most of your stuff, yes. It was your forward for Neon Shade.”
“Yeah.”
Mr. Samsa: “It seemed out of place, I thought.”
“Why do you say that?”
Mr. Samsa: “Well, I suppose you could look at it differently, but the way I see it, it didn't match up to your book.”
"...Ok."
Mr. Samsa: “I think it was more about the decay of mankind. Something like, man evolves through his technology, but in a way is just resorting back to their original state. And, in the process, loses more and more of their soul... Or, have I been thinking too much into it?”
“No, that's... interesting.”
Mr. Samsa: “I read somewhere that your friend had Space Fritz.”
“Yeah, he would talk to space like a person... A lot. What are you getting at?”
Mr. Samsa: “Everyone sort of gets the Fritz, Jack. Nobody talks about it, but if you’re out here long enough, you’ll get it. You've read Beyond Good and Evil?”
"...He... who fights with monsters, should take care that he himself does not become a monster.”
Mr. Samsa: “And when you stare-”
“-And when you gaze too long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Maxims and Interludes, 146.”
Mr. Samsa: “God, it's sad that you know that.”
"I know, isn't it?"
Mr. Samsa: "Yeah. Well, if you took that, and compared it to your friend's piece, I think you might understand it better."
"I'll do that."
Mr. Samsa: "You see what I'm getting at, Jack?"
“Honestly? Not really.”
Mr. Samsa: “Nevermind Jack. You have work to do, and so do I.”
“Talk to me about this when... I'm more-”
Mr. Samsa: “I doubt we'll get to, Jack. There's a lot I've got to do yet."
"...Ok."
We reached the Youkja. It was the same dark core I remembered. This time, I felt a chill when viewing the growth amongst the walls. Before, it was just a fungus. Now, it was the enemy. I jumped when Samsa's hand found my shoulder.
Mr. Samsa: "Loosen up, Jack. Take a nap if you need to."
"I'll be fine."
Samsa passed me a disk he must have composed while we walked, probably before we spoke. I watched him round back into the hallway, and disappear from my site.
Slowly, I rounded back to face Youkja. I sighed away some anxiety before hopping back into the chair.
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Disclaimer
Monster is © Edan Koch. The Universe in which it takes place is based upon Natural-Selection. All characters and locations are fictional. Any association with actual persons or places is coincidental.
Natural-Selection and all artwork, screenshots, text and code associated with it are © Charles G. Cleveland, 2001.