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Technomancy (Zil Samo's story) |
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Chapter II
Logging In
After dinner, to placate his parents, John did his homework, albeit half-heartedly; the day's earlier message still niggling at his mind.
Hrrm... if cos2x=1-sin2x, then x=0, right? Gahh. Whatever. What was up with that message, anyways?
He began to rise off his bed towards the computer, but he mentally slapped himself.
It might be important, bur remember what happened last time you blew off your homework. Mom was pissed at you for weeks.
Sighing, he turned back to his precalculus assignment.
****
Somewhere in cyberspace, in a secluded chatroom:
Q_!: What if he does not succeed?
Q_@: Don't worry, he will, he always does.
Q_!: Yes, in the past. This is the present.
Q_@: Again, I have total confidence in our agent. He has a good eye.
Q_!: I hope you're right, for your sake. . .
-Q_Q Has logged on-
Q_Q: Hello, boys.
Q_!: Oh! sir! we weren't expecting you!
Q_Q: No one does. That's the point of these infernal chatrooms.
Never you mind, though, soon enough, we'll be able to show our faces.
Q_@: I hope so.
Q_Q: Don't worry.
Q_!: We won't, sir!
Q_@: I don't sir!
Q_Q: Good.
-Q_Q has logged out.
Q_!: Damn. He gives me the creeps.
Q_@: Well, he is the head.
Q_!: Too true. Oh, crap!
Q_@: What?
Q_!: Got an alert. Target 31415 is on the move.
Q_@: Damn it!
- Q_! has logged out.-
-Q_@ has logged out.-
****
The next day, John was feeling optimistic, (which was his default state of being) but for some reason, his usual feelings mixed with anxiety as he boarded the bus to school, but it was forgotten as he saw his best friend, Zeke, was feeling better.
"Hey, Zil!"
"Hey, Cueball! What's up?" They never used their real names when talking to each other.
"Oh, not much. The usual."
"Oh, you mean your roof blowing up again?"
"Hey, that was only a small fire!"
"I was joking, dude, joking."
"I know. Hey, so did you get that..."
And so on. When he reached school, John remembered why he was feeling apprehensive: he had a large Chemistry test today and had forgotten to study.
"CRAP!"
"What?" said Zeke, never very far from his best friend.
"The Frolini quiz! I'm screwed!"
"What are you talking about, man? You have, like, superpowers in that class!"
"No, it's not that, it's just that... well... I dunno, I just have a bad feeling about it. I mean, how the hell am I supposed to remember the formula for tetraethylene?"
"Tetra WHAT? Oh, yeah, you're in the smart class."
"Man, you know that honors is just as hard as regular."
"Uhh... no it's not."
"Whatever. I gotta get going."
"'kay. See ya at lunch?"
"Probably, unless I get sucked into the Internet."
They both laughed at the atrocity of the statement, neither one of them realizing how close to the truth John had just spoken.
****
 Zil Samo · Wed Jan 09, 2008 @ 09:02pm · 3 Comments |
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