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Page history last edited by rsb 11 years, 6 months ago

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"'Get up you dumb motherfucker.'"

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As far as I know, every day has been like this.  I'm on disability.  I know I check in every week with a doctor.  I have that information on my corkboard in the kitchen.  I get dressed, mark a day off on the calendar in the kitchen, walk to the coffee shop, have a meal, walk home.  Sometimes I stop at the market.

 

There is some exercise equipment in my living room.  I seem to use that as a seat from which to stare out the window into the tiny front yard of our little one story house.  My roommate smokes a lot of pot.  I don't think I do.  I think I play chess with him.

 

This morning I'm arriving at the coffee shop around 10:30AM.  I don't have a watch but they have a clock there.  There is only one big, beat-up, wood table here, all the rest are tiny.  Lots of people sit there.  I like to socialize, even though I'm pretty sure I'm bad at it.  So I plan to sit at the big table.  As I stand in line, I overhear the guys that sit at the big table talking about me.

 

"Ernies back.  Can we fill that seat?", said Kai.

"Dude.  He's not that bad.  Just let him sit there.", said Trey.

"God, is it that late?  Times flying.  I gotta go.", said Rick, and got up to leave, eyeing Ernie as he stood to pack.  Rick always brought a bag with a tremendous load of books and magazines to study for the day.  It took him a while to pack.

"Does he know who the president is?" Asked Phil.

Trey just shook his head.  Kai let out a giggle.

"Don't mess with him." Kai said, "He's *so* serious that I can't keep it together."

 

I picked up my coffee and got my usual heart-melting smile from the lady behind the counter.  She gave everyone that smile.  It's one of the things that made this coffee shop great.

 

I took Ricks seat.  He nodded at me as he walked out the door.

 

"So what do you think of what Nixon's up to Ern?" Phil asked.

I sat down and put my coffee on the table in front of me.  "I'm not sure.  Is Nixon in trouble?  Are you guys going to help him?"

"Well, he's a little paranoid..." Kai added, near giggling.

Phil laughed a little but took it easy on him "Just messing with you Ern'.  Nixons been dead for a while."

 

They carried on their conversation while I sipped my coffee, and ate my quiche when it arrived.

 

"So Obama puts the committee chairman as the sole flashpoint, out to twist in the wind." said Kai.

"Yeah, but he did back up Biden, who backed her up.", Said Trey.

"That's like a Philidor defence.", I said.

Trey and Kai looked at each other.

"Ernie, you need to get laid.", said Kai.

"I...I do get laid...I think...I don't know."

Trey supressed a laugh.  "I think you would know."

"I don't even know why I know that chess move.", I said.

 

I was quiet while they turned the conversation back to this Biden person.

"Well, give my regards to Nixons family." I said after a few minutes.

 

I got up to see Jim, who was sitting at a small table not far away.  Jim was pushing 75.  He had alzheimers and probably a few other conditions, but he could make it to the coffee shop and, despite the shakes, read the paper and have coffee.  I loved talking to Jim.  He smiled when I sat down.

 

Phil just shook his head, considering me as I walked off.  "You gotta respect his intuition.  Biden really is a pawn."

"I'm sorry, he's just such a loser." Trey controlled his laughter as well as he could.

Kai said.  "Well, someone needs to talk to Jim."

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Yes, this host is possibly the stupidest animal that has ever lived.  And I have 50 cycles left to live inside it.  It's like living in a bag of rocks.  And that is a direct insult to rocks everywhere.  What the hell did I do to deserve this, again?

 

Oh, yeah.  The fusion thing.

 

As much as I despise this host, it's neurological makeup provides at least a modicum of energy and computing power worth stealing, and it's easy to control.  I hardly seem to be killing it.  It's probably one in a million among animals of it's type.

 

The one joy in this god-forsaken crappy assignment is Abqura.  Possibly the most advanced woman I have ever met, and I get to meet her each morning.  Now that's one woman I would give half my particles to merge with.  And believe me, I'm working on it.

 

God, though, Abquras host, "Jim", she calls him, is even dumber than mine.  At least I've got that working in my favor.  My host seems a natural fit, and I can manouver him over to hers daily.

 

Once I had our host seated together were seated together, I opened a channel.

 

"'Your host genuinely likes mine.  Why don't you have it sit with me when you first get in?'"

"'I'm trying to keep this host as healthy as possible, so I socialize it.  It's tip-top right now.'" I said, the implication clear.

"'I'll grant you that, but my host will last me through this assignment.'" Abqura lied, "'And I don't hate this assignment as you do.'"

"'All the more reason to join me for the next 50 cycles.'"

"'Please.  You hate this world.  And together we would crush your host.'"

"'Hate is such a strong word.  And you have no idea how strong this host is.'"

"'These hosts are beautiful creatures.  This world is unspoilt.  Our people have been here for billions of cycles.  In a few hundred more, we will have to reduce this race to primitives.  I plan to see the beauty that these humans represent for as long as I can.'"

 

"'Then see it with me for fifty cycles.  You know I'm right about this host...and you know how messy transfers are without two intelligent beings involved.  We'll take my host and see everything this world has to offer.'"

Abqura was silent. I had to press my case.

"'Abqura, if this is the beauty in the universe, would you rather spend your time always seeing it alone?  Or will you give a brother a chance to see it with you?'"

 

Abquras host, mouth closed, gently breathed out warm particles of her through its nose.  Each one a unique thing of beauty, so advanced, so strong.  I forced my host to yawn and inhale them greedily.  She had never probed my host like this before.  She wanted to know it better.  She wanted to know me better.

 

She gathered information.  I gave her everything I had on this host.  A rush of love caught me up.  I opened up entirely.  For the first time, she knew who I was - she was part of me.  I had only lust for her until then.  I selflessly breathed her out, and she re-entered her host.

 

Our hosts just sat there and stared at each other for a moment.  I could tell Abqura was looking at me through her hosts eyes.  But not at me.  She was focused on my host.

"'Abqura, I want to ride this assignement out with you. I have 50 cycles left, you have 21.  If you spend the remainder with me, I will try to see things the way you do.'"

"'You will never see things the way I do Theseus.  But we will learn to be friends.  Take care of that host.  When you learn to love it, we might have a chance.'"

 

Shit.

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I had a good chat with Jim.  I was oddly tired, though, when I got up to leave.

 

Cindy was talking to a few smokers at an outside table. God she was beautiful.  Painfully beautiful.  I had to look away a lot when I passed by her.  I tried to at least glance at her this time.

"Hey Ernie." she said with a huge smile.

"Oh, hi." I said and looked down.  I managed to slow down and smile at her, but didn't have anything to say.

Cindy turned toward me, as if to walk with me, "I see how you take care of Jim in the mornings."

"I think it's sweet...", she continued.

I got shy again, as usual, and looked down.  She tilted her head to keep looking at my face as if looking under a curtain I had put up.

"Why do you do that, Ernie?"

"I...I just love the underdogs, I guess."

"Me too." she said, and we were walking together now.

"So, have you been working out?"

An odd thing happened.  I remembered a few things.

"Uh, yeah."  I said.  "Yeah!  I guess I work out every night.  I just don't remember much."

"I can tell.  You wear baggy clothes, but you're getting pretty fit."

"Thanks.  Hey, I also play chess at night with my roommate, I guess." memories were trickling in.

"Cool! Can I come over and play?"

"Um...yeah." And we walked on.

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