Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Its Just Sex

Jeremy moved through the crowd in a fluid motion like a ballet dancer. Light on his feet he passed person after person, man after woman, without so much as grazing them. His head was clouded with the mingling scents of perfume, cologne, and body sweat (the stale scent of beer, the stinging hint of liquor). The men and women alike who wore too much body masking scents for comfort. He swirled the remaining contents of his bottled beer and dodged the cigarette smoke like a prize fighter, making his way to the bar. The infectious rhythm of a throwaway pop star beat into his skin, throbbing like a war drum. It was his war drum, the drum beat of a modern warrior.

Through the throng of people he moved past a mirrored wall, admiring himself as he walked by. Before entering the club he had done a few exercises to get his muscles ripe. He hadn’t worked out in a few days and felt the need to push blood into them. It produced the desired effect. His designer white dress shirt clung to his body, accentuating his frame. It was tucked neatly in a haphazard way (so as to produce the desired effect of seeming to appear messy) into his three hundred dollar pair of blue jeans. A shiny, but not obnoxious, belt buckle highlighted his toned core. Combined with his shoes the outfit itself was nearly a thousand dollars, the watch (hanging loosely at his wrist) was equal to that in itself. His hair, meticulously coifed, had the same appearance as his clothes, messy, but tamed. His tan only added to the allure. The pearly white (and perfectly straight) teeth melted into the backdrop, as did his blue/green eyes.

Jeremy used these eyes to scan the crowd, instantly (and without noticing it himself) he passed over any women in groups with other women, likewise those in groups with men. He was looking for a solitary female, like an animal would when they attack the weakest member in a pack, the straggler left behind. He noted one here and there (placing them in a mental reserve in his mind) when he spotted her sitting at the opposite end of the bar. It was almost too easy.

Every man that walked past her got a coy smile and a playful look, those that came up to order a drink next to her got a pleasant “Hello.” He understood why they weren’t biting. To a casual observer the brute of a man sitting next to her (the one that was actively trying to engage her in conversation) was her boyfriend. Body language was telling Jeremy this wasn’t the case. He inspected her.

She wore a loose fitting, calf length, black, flowing, skirt with a sensible pair of heels. The skirt was hiked up just high enough to show off her leg muscles. If he was to guess (which he did), he would assume that she was a runner. To compliment the black skirt was a white, form fitting, tank top. He could also tell that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her breasts were not as large as he usually preferred but he could see that they were still perky, still defying gravity, and that her nipples were a decent size (like a pencil eraser). Her hair also looked fantastic, flowing around her and highlighting her soft facial features. He would have chosen a blonde normally, but her black hair (with dirty blonde highlights) seemed a perfect match with her tan (but not too tanned) skin. He couldn’t see much else from his perspective so he moved in for a closer look.

As he slinked his way to the other side of the bar he dodged a drunk frat boy as he attempted to engage in conversation with two women at the same time. The frat boy said something along the lines of “Watch it fag!” but he ignored him completely.

Moving closer she caught his eye, once again the same smile, the same playful look, flirted across her face. He sat next to her, squeezing past another man who was about to move in to order a drink.
“Hello,” she said.
Her voice had a sing song quality too it, airy, feathery.
“Hi.” He responded in kind.
He ordered a drink as she looked him over.
“You smell good.”
“Thank you. So do you.”
In truth, she did. “It’s…” Jeremy tuned her out, he knew what it was, Happy for Women by Clinique. He almost ignored her to the point where she asked what he was wearing. “This? I don’t even know.”
He did know, it was Capri Orange by Acqua Di Parma. He laughed as he said his usual retort (making sure he was not too boisterous). She laughed in return.
“My name’s Rose.”
She shouted this, which wasn’t necessary, they were close enough to not have to yell over the music (which had switched to yet another here today, gone tomorrow, pop star). He smiled at her, she smiled back (her teeth looked well maintained).
“Lewis.” he replied, “nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
They shook hands, she lingered a little, rubbing his fingers as they withdrew. The brute of a man beside her tried to get her attention. She leaned over, giving Jeremy a spectacular view of cleavage (a small mole on the inside of her left breast) and placed a hand on his thigh (the hand squeezed a little). Jeremy looked over her shoulder at the man behind her. The look said, “taken.” The man, defeated, got up and walked away.

This was the part Jeremy hated. Dialogue. He didn’t really want to converse with this girl (he was never going to talk to her again). He went through the motions, answering her questions, asking his own (all the while feeling his body tense up). Finally, when he thought she was just going to keep talking (and he would have to move on), she leaned over and whispered in his ear (her mouth close enough to smell the alcohol).

Moments later she was leading him through the crowd by his hand, heading for a bathroom (he truthfully did not know which one). As they approached he noticed the line outside of the women’s restroom, she did as well, and darted into the men’s. In what seemed like fate (he had seen the opposite before) the bathroom was empty, and she darted for a stall. She swept in first and he closed the door behind him and locked it.

She turned around smoothly and attempted to kiss him. He dodged the kiss and wrapped a hand in her hair (never kiss…it was a rule). He pulled her head to the side, firm, yet not too hard. She followed his lead and smiled. He placed light kisses on her neck, a slight suckle of her earlobe, a lick on her shoulder (he noticed the goose bumps fly up her skin). She wasted no time in placing a hand on his crotch. She squeezed. It wasn’t a pleasant squeeze (the zipper grinded against his cock) but he let it pass. Without hesitation she dropped to a crouch, hiking up her skirt and pooling it into her lap (he admired her ability to deftly crouch in heels). She went to unbuckle his pants and he stopped her (never drop your pants…another rule). He reached down and unzipped himself, her hands resting on his thighs, he could feel her hot breath through his jeans. He reached in (ignoring her attempt to do the same) and pulled out his penis. He was semi hard but it was enough to flop out and land on her face. He liked this, apparently she did as well, she let out a little laugh and let it rest on her cheek as she looked at him. She lifted the shaft and licked from base to tip, stopping momentarily to pull his balls out (squeezing them as she did, giving them a little tug). Her little tongue flirted across his penis until she got to the head. She paused and blew on it. The cold air sent a shiver up his spine and he almost instantly achieved a full erection. She grinned at this and took the tip into her mouth. He watched the full pink lips (with artfully placed lip liner) slide down over the ridge of his circumcision and close. Once fully past the teeth he watched her cheeks sink in (just like someone sucking on a lollipop). Jeremy could feel the heat in her mouth, the building saliva. She moved down slowly until her nose touched his jeans. He felt her throat clench and unclench, felt the muscles working (heard and felt the sensation of a slight cough).

He lifted her up and turned her to where she was leaning down and bent sideways at almost a ninety degree angle. She pulled her mouth all the way off his cock with an audible sloppy pop, took a few panting breaths, and went back down (using her thumb and middle finger to lightly dance along the shaft). He hiked her skirt up over her ass and effortlessly parted her tiny black thong to the side (it was one of those that tied). Instincts told him to stick his fingers right in but knowledge prevailed. He brought his fingers up to his mouth, deposited a worthy amount of saliva on them, and sent them on their way. With his ring finger he found her clit and started rubbing in a circular motion. Naturally Rose bucked a little into his hand. With his index and middle finger he inserted her. Surprisingly (yet not overwhelmingly so) she was already wet, the juices sliding around his fingers. He used a slow, steady motion, sliding himself in and out as his thumb traced her asshole (if they buck into it, they may want it). After what seemed like mere seconds she turned around, slamming her ass into his crotch. She left one leg down and hiked the other one onto the toilet seat. After sliding a few times she ditched the heel on that foot and braced herself on her toes (he noticed the pools of unknown liquid on the floor, the remnants of pubic hairs on the seat, a dark ring in the bowl). Jeremy lifted her skirt up and balled it in his fist, with his other hand he pulled the thong to the side again.

He flicked her with his penis, rubbing it back and forth to find the hole, pre-cum already emerging as if saying hello. With her free hands she placed one on his abs, the other she used to grab his cock and slide it home (wonderfully tight at first but with a little effort…effortless). She kept his pace slow at first, using the hand on his abs like a guide until she finally started bucking into him herself. Jeremy felt her warmth and basked in its liquid velvet. He rammed it in and out, watching the lips move with it, enveloping him. Her anus pucker with each thrust. Her ass and thighs ripple with every motion. He reached his hands around to grab her breasts. She lifted her tank top and guided his hands to their desired place, pulling the clingy material up to her throat. He rubbed her stomach, feeling the smooth skin (and biting his tongue to keep from ejaculating early). With one hand he pinched a nipple, with the other he choked her from behind. She arched back, giving him a view of her silhouette. She rubbed his hand over her throat, making panting noises. Jeremy could hear other men in the bathroom but he tuned them out, he listened to the soft slapping sound, the suction cup sound of his cock worming its way around the inside of her pussy (a queef here and there), his balls slapping against her inner thigh. He felt his orgasm coming and grabbed onto her hips. He pistoned (following the beat of the endless music echoing through the walls), sending shock waves up her body, before pulling out and squirting his shame across her back (little rivulets clinging to the skirt).

She laughed a soft (almost silent) laugh and Jeremy watched as the homeless semen wiggled on her back. He felt ill. After his brief moment of elation he looked her over again. She handed him a wad of toilet paper and he mopped up his sperm using only his thumb and middle finger to hold the paper. She pulled her thong back in place (but not before he saw hair around what he thought was a cleanly waxed pussy and asshole) and before lowering her (likely Wal-Mart) skirt he saw that her runners legs (highlighted with the heels) were not as toned as he thought, little dimples of fat riddled the backs of her thighs (and, to his horror, he noted where a pimple was coming up on her ass). She turned around before lowering her shirt and he noticed that what he thought were perfect breasts featured hideously (in his mind at least) dark and misshapen areolas. She smiled and he saw that the well maintained teeth were chipped and yellow. She lowered her eyes (thankfully when his lip curled) and he spotted that the hair he once liked was in dire need of a new color and cut. He backed up quickly (in what the little space would allow) and found the lock on the door.
“Hey…wait!”
Nails not professionally manicured but covered in little designs grazed his arm.

Jeremy exited as she was putting on her missing shoe (probably from Payless), snaking his penis back in his pants as he went. There was a small crowd gathering in the bathroom waiting for the vixen to emerge. As he passed them he could hear her calling him names from somewhere behind him, “asshole…shithead…bastard.” The men around him cheered with each new name. They hollered and catcalled. A man in front of him raised his hand for a high five and Jeremy dodged it.
“The fucks your problem?” The man asked, beer and cigarettes on his breath.
“What’s yours? Its just sex.”

Monday, June 21, 2010

My Life As Of Late

So let me tell you how my day went.

I went to probation today…no biggie…but the probation officer decided to drug test me. Now, I had no fear of the actual drug test, I knew I was clean, I haven’t touched anything in fucking forever. What I have a weird phobia of is pissing in front of people. Apparently its called Paruresis. I don’t piss at urinals when I go out, I always head for the stall. If I’m somewhere where the urinals are open but the stalls aren’t I will stand there and fucking wait for one to open. I’ve always been like this, at least as far back as I can remember. The only time I don’t have a problem pissing in front of people is when I’m drunk. Shit, if I’m drunk I could piss on you…while looking you in the face.

Well when you take a drug test the dude stands there and watches you. So, I stood there for about five minutes with my dick in my hand, told him I couldn’t do it, and he told me to wait around and drink some water. Well by now I’m nervous as shit. The nerves started while I was standing there trying to piss. I felt like a fucking failure. So I go out, drink some water, and wait. Here’s the kicker. If you’re on probation and are required to piss you can’t leave. On top of that you have about a two hour window to do so, failure to piss and its an automatic fail and you go to jail. So now my nerves are doubled.

Seven, fucking SEVEN, bottles of water and two hours later I’m still not pissing. This is when I start to feel like I did when I was in jail. I’m assuming it’s a panic attack. I’ve never had one before until I went to jail so that’s the only thing I can assume it is. My heart starts racing, I feel nauseas, I start shaking, and I get this overwhelming urge to cry. Really. If you’ve ever seen a 6’4” almost 300lb hairy man cry…its not a pretty sight (plus I was in all black today). So I’m flipping the fuck out. I’m not alone though.

There is another guy who has been waiting about an hour and a half trying to pee. His problem is different though, he KNOWS he’s going to fail the fucking test. He doesn’t want to go to jail. The kicker for him? He’s on probation for an invalid drivers license. An invalid drivers license and they’re making him take a piss test.

Finally he calls me again and I go for it. We’re heading to the bathroom and I stop him. I explain to him that I know I’ll piss clean, that I have a problem pissing in front of people, and I’m freaking the fuck out because I don’t want to go to jail on account that I have a shy bladder. So he lets me take a piss while he stands outside. Whew! Except now I’m so fucking jacked up I still can’t piss. Another five minutes goes by and I swear to god I strained so hard to piss that I thought I was going to shit myself. Low and behold I manage to piss out just enough to pass the line. Guess what? Clean. Fuck my life.

On top of that I got dicked over at counseling. When I originally went to get my drug and alcohol evaluation I was told I would need to do 12 group counseling sessions…$40 a pop. Well I went to another counselor and he told me I would only need to do 6 individual counseling sessions at $40 each. Guess which one I wanted to take? So I did another evaluation (which brings us to a total of $225 just on evaluations) and wait for the results. 6 sessions my fucking ass. The guy put on there that he recommended me for 4-6 months of group. 4-6 months? Motherfucker that’s $640, minimum. So after talking to my actual counselor he’s weeded that down to one month of group and individual, $320. So I won’t be done with counseling, or off of active probation, until the end of July. I hope, after seeing how hard it was for me today, that that fucking probation officer doesn’t call me in for some random drug test when I’m inactive.

What else is going on in my world. Online dating? Yeah…fuck that. I’ve only gotten responses from two people that I actually messaged. One, I messaged a long time ago and she just now got back to me. The second one? Well…let’s just say I’ve asked her probably 30 questions. Every answer she gives me is exactly off of her profile (which I read, several times). How many questions has she asked me? One? Maybe two? That doesn’t really seem conducive to me as to someone who is actually interested in you at all. Her response to this? “Well, I tend to meet people when I’m out and see where it goes from there.” What? Then why the fuck are you on an online dating site? Isn’t the whole point of that to meet someone online, get to know them, and decide if you actually even want to attempt a date? Maybe I’m wrong, fuck it.

ashes finally started talking to me again. If you know me I kind of flipped out. We’ve been talking on a semi-daily basis for about a year now. All of a sudden, for two weeks, I couldn’t get a peep out of her. I pretty much lost my shit. I know I talked to Trouble about it, I think I may have talked to coveredinbees about it too. Both of them basically told me to just shut up, chill out, and wait. She got back to me, it appears she was just too busy to spend any real time online. Next month I will have literally talked to her more than any person I’ve ever been in a relationship with. I’ve never even met her. Shit…I still don’t even have her phone number.

School. Fuck. I still haven’t written that letter. I can write anything…and I can’t write a fucking letter to get myself back into college. Every time I think I know what I want to write I end up junking it. I have until July 2 to turn it in. I’ve been sitting on this for over a month now. Maybe I should just keep it simple. What’s that phrase? KISS? Keep It Simple Stupid. Maybe the letter should be as such:
To whom it may concern,
I have two classes left to graduate.
You expel people for having a gpa under 2.0, my gpa is a 1.97 (my major gpa is a 2.8).
If I took five classes I would have my degree and three minors.
Without your stupid piece of paper I cannot get a well paying job.
Don’t be a dick.
Thank you for your consideration,
DB

p.s. I’ve also given your university enough money to buy a brand new car in cash.

Whadaya think?

By the way. This no drinking thing is seriously giving me some extra cash in the bank. Because of this I’ve started shopping online a lot (also considering I can’t leave the fucking house). This may not be a good thing.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

#21 Slaughterhouse-Five


In 1998 when I was 16 years old a movie came out called Disturbing Behavior (I went with my sister to see it because it had Katie Holmes). In the movie the janitor/maintenance man played by William Sadler, the guy who says, “Rats from the bay,” is found reading a book called Slaughterhouse-Five. Apparently this made the man not only intelligent, but well read. I always assumed this was the case and from that point on always used Slaughterhouse-Five as a reference when talking to people and I wanted to sound like a literary snob. It was a neat little trick in high school, and something I repeated in college (although, to be fair, in college I would throw in a little Derrida and Foucault). The thing was, I’d never actually read Slaughterhouse-Five. After reading it…I don’t think I’ll toss it into conversation anymore. Not that it's bad, I just didn't think it was really that great.

Slaughterhouse-Five follows Billy Pilgrim as he…literally…jumps around in time. It’s an interesting way to tell the story. Rather than go from Point A to Point B Vonnegut chose to go from Point A to Point D to Point F to Point C…etc. So we get his life without every really leaving a single moment in time. In this is his service in WWII (including the shelling of Dresden), his marriage, his career, his apparent slip into insanity, and his time with the people of Tralfamador (including getting to impregnate a movie star…the Tralfamadorians are aliens by the way).

Overall the intent of the novel, or at least what many things on the web says, is to show the horrors of war. I didn’t get that. At all. Sure there were some horrible parts in it, but I didn’t really feel they were the focus of the story. In my opinion the focus of the story is life. That’s it. Most importantly to not take your life for granted and don’t live in the past. “That’s one thing Earthlings might learn to do, if they tried hard enough: Ignore the awful times, and concentrate on the good ones.” Sound advice.

Most importantly though I found the book to be fucking hilarious. Really. With the exception of the damn phrase “So it goes,” I was laughing at several spots. “Billy didn’t want to marry ugly Valencia. She was one of the symptoms of his disease. He knew he was going crazy when he heard himself proposing marriage to her…” The thing is, Valencia adored him. She knew no one wanted her, the fact that Billy married her anyway only made her love him more…its evident in the way she dies (which I won't tell you). “…said Maggie White. She was a dull person, but a sensational invitation to make babies. Men looked at her and wanted to fill her up with babies right away. She hadn’t even had one baby yet. She used birth control.” hahaha. Who writes like that? Vonnegut’s prose is so simple, so delightfully awkward, that you can’t help but read it. I used to be told that I write simple (which I do for a reason), but Vonnegut definitely has me beat.

This doesn’t really have anything to do with the book itself but one of the things the book says, “The Population Reference Bureau predicts that the world’s total population will double to 7,000,000,000 before the year 2000.” It’s a little off. Here it is 2010 and we still haven’t hit that figure.

Finally, to close, I’m going to give you a quote that I loved, and the first one that I highlighted in my reading. “The Tralfamadorians tried to give Billy clues that would help him imagine sex in the invisible dimension. They told him that there could be no Earthling babies without male homosexuals. There could be babies without female homosexuals. There couldn’t be babies without women over sixty-five years old. There could be babies without men over sixty-five. There couldn’t be babies without other babies who had lived an hour or less after birth. And so on. It was gibberish to Billy.”

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

#20 One Door Away From Heaven


This will likely contain many spoilers. Fuck it…I don’t think anyone really reads these anyway.

I’ll be honest with you, I don’t like Dean Koontz. I can read Stephen King until the fucking world ends but I can’t get into Koontz’s books. That being said…it literally took me a month to finish the 681 page One Door Away From Heaven. Not saying the page length is what took me so long, it was the story itself. Sometimes I would get captivated and interested only to be turned off by it three pages later. Sometimes I would just stare at the book sitting next to me and sigh. Finally I trudged through the last two hundred pages or so tonight. The book has its moments, particularly in periods of revelation but even those could appear preachy and unnecessary, almost like Koontz decided to hit us on the head with them.

I don’t even know how to go about discussing this book, there is just so much random shit. In essence it follows two main stories that eventually merge into one. The first story, while it involves central characters like Mickey (a beautiful recovering alcoholic), Aunt Gen (an older woman who was shot in the head and replaces memories with movies), Maddoc, and Sinsemilla, is really about Leilani. Leilani is a deformed girl (but way too intelligent 9 year old) with a drug crazed mother (who attacks her daughter with snakes and carves intricate designs in her arm) and a serial-killing stepfather (who believes that all people who aren’t super intelligent and physically capable should be killed) that plans on killing her, like her brother, before her tenth birthday. The second story features crazy psycho alien assassins, Cass & Polly (identical twin sisters with fantastic bodies who used to be Vegas showgirls and shoot shit), and Old Yeller (a special dog) but it really is about Curtis. Curtis is an alien who is trying to save the world. He’s a shape shifter who is taking the identity of a boy, being hunted by alien assassins who want entropy to reign, and has hot chicks protecting him.

What the story is really about is a giant political agenda. At least that’s what it feels like to me. Dean goes on rants about how the rich rule the world. How handicapped people are frowned upon instead of being treated as equals. How the justice system is entirely fucked up. How humanity has lost itself. How women need to become successful through themselves rather than their bodies. How there is a GOD. Now I don’t really know if he is trying to stress the point of there being a god necessarily or that there is someTHING that has created everything, or maybe he’s trying to pull an Avatar and everything is connected together. He does, however, quote the bible a few times, uses references to Greek gods, and mentions religion a lot (both eastern and western philosophies). Oh…and dogs can apparently see all of this. No lie…hand to god.

Maybe that’s why I couldn’t get into the story. He had way too much shit going on. Aliens? Serial killers? Hot Nerdy Chicks With Guns? Deformed People? Drug Induced Rants? I think the core story is probably really good…he just overran it with bullshit. The point of the story? Love everyone, love nature, be at peace. *yawn* Do you have any idea how fucking boring the world would be?

I know people who loved it. I’m not one of them. Although I did love Chapter 61. It was written from the serial killers perspective (which he didn't bother doing until the end of the book so it's kind of out of place) and reminds me of the killer from Se7en.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Security

She checked her gun again, exiting a round out of the chamber and catching it as it slid out of the ejection port. She popped the magazine out and replaced the bullet, checked to make sure it was full, and slid it back in. Then she re-chambered the round and let out a long sigh. She heard a slight shuffle and looked to her right. Concealed in the darkness only Emily’s piercing blue eyes shown through in the dim light, the ski mask hiding all of her other features. She could barely make out her hand moving to the throat mic but she could hear her voice in her earpiece, Emily barely made a sound.
“Do it again Maria…and I’ll shoot you myself.”
She glanced over at the other woman but she was no longer looking at her. Maria was nervous, palms sweaty, muscles anxious, it was her first night on guard duty. It had been the fourth time she checked her gun, an FN F2000. She was fresh out of the academy, as was Emily, they had been trained as partners for the last fourteen years.

At an early age women were chosen for one of three categories. Security, Workers, or Politicians. If you were chosen as a Worker your life was completely different from either of the other two. You woke up early, before the sun had even risen. You exercised constantly, highlighting upper and lower body strength. You weren’t given any education, and you were constantly exposed to the elements. The goal, in essence, was to make you a pack mule whose only purpose in life was slave labor. Someone who wouldn’t get tired, someone who could work twelve hour shifts without breaking a sweat.

If you were a Politician you were given the golden life. An education of the highest standards, exquisite food and clothes. You were pampered with manicures, pedicures, facials, and massages. Most of the Politicians became fat and lazy, constantly relying on others for even simple tasks and chores; whether that be getting your own drink or wiping your own ass. The Politicians were also the only ones allowed mates. That was strictly limited to the upper echelon and even then the mates were never allowed to live with them.

Security was a whole other ballpark. From the age of four you began training in combat. As soon as combat training began you were given a partner (in Marias case that partner was Emily). It began with hand to hand combat, from there, if you excelled, you went to knife fighting. If you didn’t excel you were dropped to the Worker class, you could also be dropped to the Worker class for any other reason they saw fit. By the age of ten the Security class was training with weapons, small arms at first until they were gradually graduated to heavy weaponry. This class was also the only class taught to drive, to operate several varieties of vehicles. At first Maria couldn’t handle the heavy weaponry, her five foot two inch frame couldn’t support the weapons well. The two of them were going to be relegated to convoy duties, a lower echelon in the Security class, but Emily picked up the slack and they moved up the ranks. They were taught to be emotionless. Separated from family, even distanced from other members of the Security force. To be hollow shells, killing machines. Once weapon training was complete they existed solely on repetition and exercise. To be lean, efficient. When they were considered past the point of puberty is when the changes of the Security class really began. First step, their heads were shaved bald. Second step, a complete mastectomy. Third step, genital mutilation. Fourth step, their teeth were filed to points. This was done for a purpose. The Security class was the only class to ever come into contact with wild men, as such, they were made to be as unattractive to the opposite sex as possible. It was considered general knowledge that the un-controlled men would want nothing to do with a physically deformed woman.

Maria looked over to Emily again and touched her own throat mic.
“Eyes open, ten spot.”
Emily didn’t even look at her, her posture simply became more aggressive, more alert, she would be looking out for two. Maria sat down against the wall and pulled her knees up to her chest. She looked at her surroundings and shivered in the frigid air. The distance across the corridor from her to Emily was only fifteen feet. On both sides of her were bleak concrete walls that stretched nearly twenty stories high. At the tops of these walls (which were ten feet thick) was a field of broken glass, razor wire, and automatic turrets. The walls of the corridor extended two hundred yards in front of them and a hundred yards behind them. These high walls surrounded the entire city. The hall she was in was one of three, the only way in or out. The corridors were pitch black save for a lamp light every thirty yards…they were directly between two of these lights. At the end of the hall, where her eyes could not see, was a metal door that extended the width and equaled its height. Two other Security workers were positioned at the door, two more were at the entrance a hundred yards behind them. She didn’t know any of the other Security women she was working with, she didn’t care. Maria listened to the hum of the electricity coursing through the turrets and slightly, in the distance, Mother preaching her sermon to any ears that were still awake.

Maria drowned out the other noises except for Mother and closed her eyes.
“The role you play is important to all of us. Without you we cannot exist. Do not think less of yourself. Every one of you is needed. Everyone of you has a purpose. I love all of you. You are all my children. Today is another day to bask in the glory of freedom. Man is our downfall. Man is our enemy.”

Maria flashed to her mother, her real mother. This rarely occurred and when it happened Maria would squeeze her mind shut, trying to hold on to the brief pieces that would expose themselves. Her mother was wearing a blue dress, a Workers dress, odd, because Workers weren‘t allowed to conceive. She had strong shoulders and thick biceps. Her long rich brown hair flowed past her shoulders in waves, a kind smile played across her face. She reached for her…

Marias earpiece screeched.
“Did you hear that?”
Maria jumped to attention, gun at the ready, pointed straight down the corridor. She touched her throat, “Hear what?”
“Listen!” Emily barked.
Maria strained her ears, trying to catch whatever sound Emily had heard. Suddenly the sound of gunfire echoed down the corridor in an almost deafening quality, both women turned their heads and grimaced. The constant electric hum that eminated from above their heads disappeared. The lights flickered for a moment before being brought back up by emergency power.
“They took out the turrets.” Emily said calmly.
Marias heart began to race. She absently rubbed the tattoo of the Virgin Mary she had at her wrist and flicked the safety off on her gun.
“Can you believe this?” Emily asked. “First day out and we’re already getting action.”

Marias mind soared to a day of training. She was thirteen, running an obstacle course, Emily at her heels. They were in first place, as always. Maria rounded a corner and checked behind her. Not ten feet behind Emily was another girl, Isabelle. Isabelle was part of a smaller tier team, a partnership destined for guard duty at some penal institution. There were two things that caught Marias attention in that glance. One, that Isabelles partner was no where to be seen. Two, Isabelle herself. The girl was a beast, standing nearly six feet tall and close to two hundred and twenty pounds. Maria ignored her and continued running. Within a few minutes she heard Emily shout something in the distance and found herself being lifted off her feet and thrown face first into a wall. She stumbled, her nose broken, blood passing over her lips, dripping down her chin, and pivoted around in an attack stance. Her mind quickly took in the scene, Emily was down on the ground about fifteen yards away, cradling what was obviously a broken leg, the bone protruding from her black cargo pants. The massive girl stood over Maria in a relaxed posture, her hands balled into fists.
“You two think you’re so much better than everyone else.”
Isabelle brought down a knee strike and Maria rolled out of the way. She couldn’t breathe and her eyes were stinging as they started to close shut from the swelling, yet she managed to swing onto the girls back before Isabelle even stood up. Maria whipped her arms around the bigger girls throat and squeezed, burying her face in-between her shoulder blades. Isabelle tried to claw at her at first and when she realized she couldn’t reach her much smaller oponent she started slamming herself into the wall, which in turn meant she was slamming Maria into the wall. The blows were crushing her. Maria changed her position quickly. Instead of keeping her knees in the girls lower back, she brought them around and braced them on Isabelles thighs. Instead of sitting up high she lowered herself, making sure not to lose her grip around the larger girls throat. In a flash she pistoned her body, thrusting down on the girls thighs as she torqued her torso up and backwards. She heard a distinct pop, followed by a crack, and jumped off as Isabelles body slumped to the ground. She had broken her neck. A calm, soothing voice, came out over a loud speaker as Maria made her way to Emily.
“Well done Maria. Emily will be taken care of. Continue the course.”
Maria looked at Emily, who nodded her approval, then turned and started running again, barely able to see or breathe. As she passed Isabelles body she looked into the dead girls eyes, her tongue slightly sticking out of her mouth. She wasn’t happy or satisfied, she felt cold.

“Maria!”
Maria shook her head and stared straight ahead.
“Quit daydreaming, you’ll get us both killed.”
“Shut up.” Maria retorted.
She could hear a shuffling of heavy feet, smell a dinstinct odor that she thought was sweat but it was thicker, more pronounced. Then, a cluster of hushed voices. Emily opened fire. Maria flinched, they had been taught not to shoot unless a target was visible, but she could hear that Emilys shots were hitting flesh. Suddenly, thick wails of agony erupted from the darkness and Maria found herself taking a step back.
“Hold your ground.”
A hand emerged in the glimmer of light some forty-five yards ahead of them and Emily fired. The bullet ricocheted against the concrete where the hand had been. She could hear what sounded like bodies being dragged away.
“We mean you no harm. This can be settled peacefully.”
Maria froze. She had never heard a voice like that before. It was deep, lush, soothing and inviting.
“Don’t listen to them!” Emily barked. “Remember what Mother said, they can get in your head.”
She remembered alright.

The day of graduation from the Security Academy, less than a week before, was the first time Maria had every literally laid eyes on Mother. Now, over the course of the hundred and twenty year run of Inner City there had been many Mothers. The current Mother had only been in place for some three months. When the last Mother had died the city went in mourning for two weeks. Everyone wore dark clothes, flags flew at half mast, there were gun salutes every hour. The new Mother was in her fifties, her hair completely gray and pulled back in pins. She looked comfortable swathed in loose fitting robes, her skin was wrinkled and yet appeared smooth and soft at the same time. A stark contrast to the calloused and rough skin of Maria’s. She stood in front of the group of graduates on a podium, a smile illuminating her entire face.
“I…am so proud of you ladies.”
She paused, perhaps waiting for an applause that would never come, before continuing.
“You have all made a great sacrifice for us. You are considered among the few and the proud here. It is a great honor to be a Security member.”
She opened her arms as if to hug the entire group and beamed at them.
“You have been giving the noble task of protecting each and every one of us. Take heed though, for it will not be easy.”
She motioned for the group to sit and everyone did as instructed, in unison.
“The enemy…is Man. As you all know Man caused the great disease, Man caused the great war. They are nothing but brutal savages. You have heard the stories since children. They only want to tear your bodies apart, ravage you, destroy your will. They will do this using whatever means necessary. Do not listen to them, do not fall prey. They have many tricks up their sleeves and they will attempt to use them all. If you see one kill it…without regret…without remorse…without question.”

“In Mothers name Maria pay attention!”
Maria looked up to see a figure standing in the light. Instinctively she raised her gun, finger on the trigger.
“Shoot him Maria!”
She glanced over to see Emily messing with her gun, it had apparently jammed. Maria looked back at the man…she had never seen one before.

The man had his arms up, demonstrating that he had no visible weapon. He slowly brushed his hair out of his face and looked at her. She became entranced. She studied his body from head to toe. He was tall, probably around six foot two, his figure was lean but strong, his muscles corded. She saw dark hair that covered his arms and chest. Even his face had hair on it. She wondered what that hair felt like. The man had a strong square jaw and she noticed that his throat looked different from hers. But she kept getting drawn to his eyes, they were a deep green and appeared soft, innocent. He smiled at her. She had been told her entire life that men were monsters, horrible creatures, this man did not look like anything horrible.

The sound of gunfire pierced her ears. She watched as the bullets rippled up the mans body and he shook, until the last one hit him in the head. She saw the back of his skull explode and brain and blood fly against the concrete wall behind him. Time slowed as she listened to every spent shell ping off the ground.
“Fuck Maria, what are you doing?”
Maria turned to Emily and started shooting. She didn’t even realize she was until she felt the gun recoiling in her hand. Her partner, her only close companion for the last fourteen years, was dying. Emily staggered backward and raised her gun. She let loose a few rounds before dropping dead with a thud, her helmet crunching against the wall. Maria didn’t even realize she’d been hit until she felt the searing pain crawling up her side. She looked down to see blood pooling around her shirt at her abdomen.

She closed her eyes and saw her mother again. She was so beautiful. Her mother cast her head back and laughed and Marias heart seized in her chest. This was what it was like to be happy…that was what genuine laughter sounded like.

Maria opened her eyes to see a man kneeling before her. She tried to scoot back but a hand rested itself on her shoulder. She could feel the size of the hand, much larger than her own, it was heavy, warm, calming.
“Its ok…I just need to check your wound.”
The man was gorgeous but entirely different from the other one, she didn’t know how that was possible. His voice felt like sugar coating her body. He removed her ski mask first, then looked at her face and smiled. She started to return the smile, remembered her teeth, and quickly shut her mouth. She didn’t want to frighten him.
“Its ok…I think the pointy teeth are cute.“
She didn’t know what the word meant but it sounded delightful. Two of his fingers went to her throat and she found she couldn’t swallow. The man turned around slightly and said something to a person behind him that she could not see, then he started unbuttoning her shirt. She brought a hand up to stop him. What was it she was feeling? It was something she had never felt before. Almost as if she was nervous but that wasn’t quite it. He looked at her and the smile dropped from his face.
“I need to check your wound. You’re losing a lot of blood.”
Maria removed her hand and let him continue, but not before she felt the hair on his face. She was curious, it tickled. When the man opened up her shirt she grimaced, knowing what it looked like, it even disgusted her. He, however, made no outward sign. He touched her wound and she winced.
“What’s your name?”
She looked at him.
“You have a name don’t you?”
She looked down at the wound and felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.
“Don’t look at that look at me. What’s your name?”
She licked her dry lips with a dry tongue.
“Maria.”
The man looked at her and smiled again, the light hitting his eye made them sparkle. In the distance Maria heard gunfire and shouting…she knew they were at the inner gate.
“Maria. My name is Richard. I’m going to help you.”
“Fire.” Maria responded.
“What did you say?”
“Purge the corridor with fire.”
The man looked at her and she fought off another wave of dizziness. She pointed to the wall above her head, to black marks that were seared along the side.
“If you get to the inner gate they purge the corridor with fire.”

Maria was with her mother again. They were playing in a park that she knew was in the center of the city. She had never been there in her adult life but she knew it was there because of maps she had to study. The women around them did not look like Workers. Sure, there were some in Worker blue, but it was a lighter blue and they were attending to the Politicians in thick bright robes. The women all looked at them with disgust. Maria could hear snickering, hands covering mouths as they whispered between each other. She could tell her mother was trying her best to ignore them, but even her armor was cracking. Eventually she reached down and picked her up, snuggling her close, the smile on her face was a fake one, one for show.
“Come on Maria,” her mother said, sounding like an angel, “Its time to go home.”

Maria woke to the sound of a dozen voices. All of them deep and harsh. She was laying on a thick bed in loose, light, comfortable clothing. She had never worn clothing like that before. She could feel that she had bandages wrapped around her abdomen. There was an iv in her arm and she glanced around the room and surmised that she was in some sort of hospital.
“How many did we lose?” One voiced asked, it was deeper than the rest.
“Twenty-five.”
“Shit.”
“It could have been worse.”
“How many did we get?”
“Just the one.”
“The security? Should have left her there.”
Maria turned on the bed away from the voices. The pain shot up her side in searing hot heat but she ignored it. The voices dissipated and soon Maria felt someone looming over her. She looked up to see Richard.
“How are you feeling Maria?”
“Fine.”
“We managed to get the bullets out. Doc says you’ll be right as rain.”
“What?” She stared at him quizzically.
“Oh right…Think you can walk?”
“Maybe.” She wanted to press him on what could be right about rain.
“Would you like a tour?”
“A tour of what?”
“Your new home.”
With his help Maria stood up and walked to a window with him. She looked out to see what looked like a minature city. The first thing her eyes noticed was that there were almost as many women walking around as men. Children as well…they seemed to be…playing. She took a step back and looked at him.
“We have a lot to talk about.” He said.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

A Nerd Conversation

Costume for the new Captain America movie....
That uh.. looks a little too "advanced" for 1942, dontcha think?

i.newsarama.com
6 hours ago *Comment * Like * Share
Random Dude:
He's going to walk into modern day iron man's group :/ he better not be 70 years behind in clothing, not to mention tech
6 hours ago
SoylentGreen:
LOL. But the idea is that the Cap movie takes place in ww2 and the Avengers movie is now. He's supposed to have a "modern" costume for the Avengers movie. But uh... that looks pretty modern...
6 hours ago
DeistBrawler:
You would post this while I was looking at it wouldn't you.
6 hours ago ·
NINJA:
Did they say specifically that that's his costume for the WWII movie? That's kinda.....well..."advanced". lol
5 hours ago
DeistBrawler: Advanced...what do you think he is?
5 hours ago ·
Random Dude #2: Yay for Marvel jumping the shark again... still gonna see it though... You're still an asshole SoylentGreen... don't think this changes anything... top of my list and all that!
4 hours ago
Random Dude #2: On another note... you wanna get outta here and come back to my place for some coffee?
4 hours ago
NINJA: yeah, he's advance, but you look at the comic book and he was still dressed like a WWII Soldier pretty much. Apparently they're freezing him at the end of the Captain America, and finding him in the ice in Avengers. Which I think is the perfect way to do it.

And the fact that Sir Anthony Hopkins is going to be Odin is fuckin awesome!
4 hours ago
Random Dude #2:... look man if you wanna come back to my place for coffee and "just friends spooning" too all you have to do is ask.
4 hours ago
NINJA: Who are you asking?
4 hours ago
SoylentGreen:
Is it too late for this coffee thing?
4 hours ago
Random Dude #2: SoylentGreen was who I originally asked... but I mean you seemed so eager to join in. So I propose the invite to you too...
4 hours ago
Random Dude #2: No SoylentGreen... it is never to late for coffee... we will meet in the secret spot. Just like last time...
4 hours ago
NINJA: Oh well thanks...lol
4 hours ago
Random Dude #2: mmmmm coffee...
4 hours ago
Random Dude #2: Shit gotta go to work... see ya guys... coffee is now officially off the table...
4 hours ago
NINJA:
Boooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!
4 hours ago
SoylentGreen:
I see. I see what you did there.
Yeah Anthony Hopkins as Odin is awesome. Tommy Lee Jones in Captain America.
I don't think that Cap will jump the shark. The costume is confusing because yeah, thats a good point... it could very well be for the Avengers movie. But as its too modern for world war 2, its too world war 2 for modern.
4 hours ago
NINJA: Indeed. What part is Tommy Lee Jones in Capt?
4 hours ago
SoylentGreen:
I'm not sure. But I think it's safe to say "some military dude".
Also, Sam Jackson.
4 hours ago
NINJA: lol. Fair enough. And yeah, you HAVE to have Nick Fury man
4 hours ago
SoylentGreen:
So glad we agree.
4 hours ago
DeistBrawler: Don't forget Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull.
4 hours ago ·
SoylentGreen:
Oh. Shit. I thought that was a dream!!!
4 hours ago
NINJA: Seriously?! Awesome
4 hours ago
DeistBrawler: By the way. If they really want to go WWII he should just be in a regular soldiers uniform. Don't you remember the 1990 Captain America movie? The Red Skull practically states that in Red, White, and Blue Cap is basically a walking target. Its not exactly what one would call camouflage. The Germans would look up and be like "Shit, shoot the colorful dude! Shoot him!"

Also, the guy they got to play Bucky isn't a bad actor either. Although I hope he got in some serious shape considering Bucky was supposed to be the best athletic soldier, thus the only one who was capable of being Caps sidekick.
3 hours ago ·
SoylentGreen:
I loved the retcon for why Cap would wear something so gaudy back then in a battle field. That, since he was so one-of-a-kind and still intended on re-creating the serum, they didn't really want to put him in the battle field, but they needed to show him off so they made him kind of a U.S.O. thing with a fake back story originally. And then, somehow, he ended up in Normandy....... I'm sure there is a story for that
3 hours ago
That Girl: SoylentGreen your a nerd and its a movie....I mean Bumble Bee wasn't a kick ass camero in the 80's ...but hes better than the POS VW Bug he was..change is good!
2 hours ago
DeistBrawler: ^^ Does she realize she just posted that for a group of comic book and movie nerds to see?
2 hours ago ·
SoylentGreen: "That Girl's"
that stupid. If you were watching a movie about Elizabethan England and someone's carriage looked spot on as a land rover, you might, I'm assuming, raise an eye brow, correct?
But. Oh. It has something to do with a comic book. You win. Nerd. yeesh.
2 hours ago
DeistBrawler: By the way, rumor has it that Tommy Lee Jones is playing Gen. Chester Phillips.
2 hours ago ·
SoylentGreen:
I don't... I have no idea who that is.....
2 hours ago
DeistBrawler: The general who convinced Cap to join the project.
2 hours ago ·
SoylentGreen:
He had a damn name??
2 hours ago
SoylentGreen:
Then again, I guess every character deserves a name....
about an hour ago
DeistBrawler:
http://marvel.wikia.com/Chester_Phillips_(Earth-616)

It might not link the whole thing so you have to copy and paste.
about an hour ago ·
SoylentGreen:
Well...that role seems pretty perfect for him. It's like men in black all over again.
Actually, now that I think of it, there was a looonnnngg period where they were talking about will smith playing captain america
about an hour ago
DeistBrawler: And Jones is doing another MIB.
about an hour ago ·
That Girl: @deist ..yes I do, my point is all adaptations are going to be modernized....I know Capt. America is a comic book. duh! As was Batman , Hulk, X-men ECT...all were changed to appeal to modern day audience.
about an hour ago
DeistBrawler:
Batman is a comic book? I call bullshit. That motherfucker totally exists.
about an hour ago ·
SoylentGreen:
lol. But "that girl", while modernizing will obviously take place, the movie in question takes place during world war 2, so the costume seems a little too futuristic. It's not really much of a complaint, it's just interesting that they're going in that direction.
about an hour ago
That Girl: true that SoylentGreen .... P. S .last I checked they had batman comic books at Publix??!!
about an hour ago
DeistBrawler: Pffffffft. I think you're full of shit.
about an hour ago ·
That Girl: Also Deist what you saw was not Batman is was Nick Cage in "Kick Ass"
about an hour ago
SoylentGreen:
Okay. Batman is real. Case closed.
38 minutes ago
Random Guy #2: I am the goddamn Batman and I will call my car whatever I goddamn wanna call it!
6 minutes ago
Random Guy# 2: By the way Steph, the pc term for what we are is geek. I do not carry a pocket protector or talk like thishhhhh...
49 minutes ago
SUNNY D: doesn't mind the costume but really,REALLY hates the casting of Chris Evans as Captain America.
16 minutes ago
SoylentGreen: I was uneasy about it at first.. But really what's the big deal?
12 minutes ago
DeistBrawler: I was upset with it too. Then I saw The Losers and realized he actually might be able to pull it off.
12 minutes ago ·
SoylentGreen: jesus. he's in the losers, too?
2 minutes ago
SUNNY D: still thinks they should be using the Hasslehoff version of Nick Fury. He was the bomb yo!
15 seconds ago
DeistBrawler: *headdesk*
2 seconds ago ·