WEBVTT - Chapter Five

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<v Speaker 1>Chapter five, Rowland. Twenty years ago, Camelback Mountain had towered

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<v Speaker 1>over a wealthy suburb of Phoenix, Arizona. Then had come

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<v Speaker 1>the Civil War. Power, food, and water shortages made the

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<v Speaker 1>cities hundred and thirty degrees summers insufferable for all but

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<v Speaker 1>the hardiest or most chromed. Millions fled for less vicious

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<v Speaker 1>climates or simply died from exposure and starvation. Now Phoenix

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<v Speaker 1>was a looted, crumbling ghost, but Camelback Mountain still hosted

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<v Speaker 1>a version of human civilization. Camel Toe was a city

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<v Speaker 1>of roughly five thousand. The name had started because the

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<v Speaker 1>settlement's founders, homeless teens, thought it was funny. A few

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<v Speaker 1>hundred orphaned or abandoned kids had settled in the McMansions

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<v Speaker 1>clustered around the mountains, western edge and foothills. They'd scrounged

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<v Speaker 1>grow lamps and engines and weaponry, and today the denizens

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<v Speaker 1>of the tow had the strongest city state between California

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<v Speaker 1>and the Kingdom of Albuquerque. Rowland was their guardian, mind you,

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<v Speaker 1>They'd never asked him to guard them. The police had

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<v Speaker 1>been doing quite well, thank you very much. When he'd

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<v Speaker 1>shown up and built his shack in the middle of

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<v Speaker 1>their only park. A delegation of armed Towins had showed

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<v Speaker 1>up to politely e vict Rowland, and he'd been forced

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<v Speaker 1>to carve off their foreskins as a show of dominance.

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<v Speaker 1>They'd sent a single negotiator next and worked out a

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<v Speaker 1>thoroughly beneficial arrangement. Rowland would aid in the city's defense

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<v Speaker 1>in exchange for his now departed shack, and twice a

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<v Speaker 1>year all the narcotics he could carry home from their harvest.

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<v Speaker 1>It was an arrangement Rowland had enjoyed. He was frustrated

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<v Speaker 1>that Jim's men had forced him to destroy his beloved hovel,

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<v Speaker 1>but it was hard for him to be angry all

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<v Speaker 1>the same. The sun was out now, and it was

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<v Speaker 1>early enough that the day's heat had yet to set

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<v Speaker 1>in the great red desert, and the carcass of Phoenix

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<v Speaker 1>stretched out around them, and to Roland's eyes it was

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<v Speaker 1>all beautiful. Once Jim had called the fight, a pair

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<v Speaker 1>of boxy armored Hella transports had flown in another squad

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<v Speaker 1>of his men. They assembled a brunch spread, complete with

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<v Speaker 1>a table and two wicker chairs. Roland hoped his old

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<v Speaker 1>friend was doing this to show go off and not

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<v Speaker 1>planning an actual meal. The acid twisted Roland's guts into

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<v Speaker 1>knots and effectively killed his appetite. He was still high

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<v Speaker 1>enough that the familiar boulders around his home seemed to

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<v Speaker 1>flex and wobble like great mounds of red jelly. Jim's face, however,

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<v Speaker 1>was rock solid. Roland focused on it while the rest

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<v Speaker 1>of the world blurred. A towel came into his hands,

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<v Speaker 1>and he realized a moment later that Jim had handed

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<v Speaker 1>it to him. Roland wiped the crusted gore from around

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<v Speaker 1>his shoulder, where the tiny robots in his blood had

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<v Speaker 1>finished reattaching his arm. It was a messy process that

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<v Speaker 1>involved a lot of shuffling bad blood out of the

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<v Speaker 1>skin and sludgy red globs. The globs looked a bit

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<v Speaker 1>like the boulders, now that he thought about it. Jim's

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<v Speaker 1>marks were over by one of the aircraft, getting worked

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<v Speaker 1>over by a medical team that must have been waiting

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<v Speaker 1>in the wings this whole time. The acrylic stink of

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<v Speaker 1>fear wafted off them from thirty feet away. Once the

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<v Speaker 1>table was up and the spread was set, Roland and

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<v Speaker 1>Jim sat down to watch the last rays of sunrise

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<v Speaker 1>turned into boring old daylight. A lackey handed them both

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<v Speaker 1>steaming mugs of cough. Roland took his black and Turkish,

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<v Speaker 1>so thick it was almost putting. Most humans made it

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<v Speaker 1>too weak for his taste, but this cup was perfect.

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<v Speaker 1>He sipped deeply, and the warbly acid lines straightened and

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<v Speaker 1>grew just a little bit thicker. Took forever to teach

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<v Speaker 1>him how to make it right, Jim said, having human

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<v Speaker 1>orderlies is a bit of a trial. I think there's

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<v Speaker 1>something about us that breaks their brains just a bit.

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<v Speaker 1>Jim sipped his coffee and added, I gotta theory about that.

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<v Speaker 1>By the way, Roland let out a harsh, flamy exhalation

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<v Speaker 1>that meant I don't care. Jim continued all the same,

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<v Speaker 1>sipping his coffee and then launching into a spiel. My

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<v Speaker 1>theory is that Homo sapiens just don't built to acknowledge

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<v Speaker 1>a higher form of life, not one that's flesh and blood,

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<v Speaker 1>and staring him in the face, demanded service. I think

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<v Speaker 1>deep in the human brain there's the race memory of

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<v Speaker 1>running up against Neanderthals. They were bigger and stronger and

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<v Speaker 1>faster than humans. But we they still wipe the neander

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<v Speaker 1>tolls out. I think humans look at us the same

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<v Speaker 1>way the ancestors looked at and at all. Roland grunted

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<v Speaker 1>because that was easier than talking, and because he really

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't listening. His eyes were focused on the shimmering surface

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<v Speaker 1>of the coffee sober. His brain kept his thermal vision

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<v Speaker 1>on a different mental track from his color and infra

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<v Speaker 1>red vision. But while he was tripping, they all just

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<v Speaker 1>sort of blended together into one multi tone massive information.

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<v Speaker 1>So he stared and thralled as red heat bled off

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<v Speaker 1>into the white air around them. The math of it

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<v Speaker 1>all was rendered as a beautiful swatch of colors, some

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<v Speaker 1>of which weren't even visible to human eyes. Roland lost

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<v Speaker 1>himself for a moment. If you any other man, I'd

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<v Speaker 1>prick you with a sober stick right now, Jim said,

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<v Speaker 1>clearly irked. It's been a long time since someone's ignored me.

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<v Speaker 1>Not ignoring, Roland managed to say. The words came out

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<v Speaker 1>wet and mushy. He'd taken a round to the lung, apparently,

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<v Speaker 1>and the repair efforts played hell on his throat. His

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<v Speaker 1>eyes were still locked on the psychedelic sprawl of color

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<v Speaker 1>lifting off from his coffee. He had to force himself

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<v Speaker 1>to take another sip. The mild stimulant surge helped him

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<v Speaker 1>break off his per ration and he met Jim still

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<v Speaker 1>weirdly solid gaze. Sorry, this coffee is more interesting than

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<v Speaker 1>your bullshit, Roland explained. Blame the acid, Jim laughed. The

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<v Speaker 1>snake tattoos on his torso curled and corkscrewed and simulated excitement.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, he said. There's a new movement in the

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<v Speaker 1>post human community started up in Idaho, one of the

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<v Speaker 1>Intentional communes. They took a pretty strong anti narcotic policy.

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<v Speaker 1>Apparently it distracts us from the important work we should

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<v Speaker 1>be doing. Fuck that, Roland said, and spat on the

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<v Speaker 1>ground for emphasis. I don't disagree. Jim nodded and produced

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<v Speaker 1>an enormous and very phallic blunt. He lit it, pulled deep,

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<v Speaker 1>and passed it over. Roland took a long drag and

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<v Speaker 1>eased into a slump as the th HC did its

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<v Speaker 1>slow work, so Jim, Roland said, After a few more passes,

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<v Speaker 1>once the acid and weed had time to push his

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<v Speaker 1>braid into a hazy new equilibrium, why are you here?

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<v Speaker 1>Jim gave an eloquent shrug, popped the blunt out of

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<v Speaker 1>his mouth and stared at the curling smoke. Roland stared too,

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<v Speaker 1>and his eyes was wreathed in a chartruse black halo

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<v Speaker 1>of heat that seemed to almost vibrate near the cherryed tip.

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<v Speaker 1>To catch up, Jim said, and to offer you a job, job,

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<v Speaker 1>Roland snorted, I need not your filthy lucre. Look at

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<v Speaker 1>this wealth that surrounds me. He made a broad gesture

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<v Speaker 1>that encompassed the remains of his novel. What could you

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<v Speaker 1>possibly offer well, Jim said, fustartus. I can replace your

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<v Speaker 1>hot plate. I think Biggsby broke it with his body,

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<v Speaker 1>so I'll steal another one. Roland said, what do you

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<v Speaker 1>really have? I'm gonna guess a few million won't pique

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<v Speaker 1>your interest. Roland blew a fat wet raspberry. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>even care what currency you're talking about. What good'll money

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<v Speaker 1>do me? Not even Cascadian scrip, eh, Jim asked, with

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<v Speaker 1>a grin Cascadia. Roland had heard the name, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>last he remembered. The Pacific Northwest's premier independence movement had

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<v Speaker 1>been agitating to secede from the coastal pact is a

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<v Speaker 1>Is that a thing now as a six years ago?

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<v Speaker 1>Jim said it. He took a deep pull of the blunt,

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<v Speaker 1>handed it back to Roland and exhaled a thick white

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<v Speaker 1>cloud as he spoke. And they just finished their own

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<v Speaker 1>civil war, so the value skyrocketing. You really don't get

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<v Speaker 1>out much these days, do you. Roland's response was another

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<v Speaker 1>deep gulp of his coffee. Anyway, Jim continued, I know

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<v Speaker 1>you don't care for cash, but there is something I

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<v Speaker 1>think you might want, and I can buy it back

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<v Speaker 1>for you if you'll help me out. Wait, buy it back?

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<v Speaker 1>Buy what back? Roland recognized the snake man's smile on

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<v Speaker 1>Jim's face. He had the vague sense that he'd seen

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<v Speaker 1>it before enough that the sight of it set his

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<v Speaker 1>hackles arise and sparked an itch in his left trigger finger.

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<v Speaker 1>He took a deep hit from the blunt and handed

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<v Speaker 1>it over to Jim. The other man took the blunt

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<v Speaker 1>with his left hand and made a gun shape with

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<v Speaker 1>the fingers of his right hand. He pantomimed a shot

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<v Speaker 1>to the head. His lips made a barely audible pow. Memories.

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<v Speaker 1>Jim said, I know you only playing with half a deck,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe less surprised you remember my mug. To be honest,

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<v Speaker 1>Jim took a final drag from the blunt, which was

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<v Speaker 1>barely the length of a thumbnail now, and passed it

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<v Speaker 1>off to Roland. But science, sir, she's kept right on

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<v Speaker 1>lurching forward the last ten years. There's a neuro team

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<v Speaker 1>up at m I a t. They reckon they've made

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<v Speaker 1>a breakthrough al Zama's research. Initially, but they think they

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<v Speaker 1>figured out how to straight up recover memories from damaged

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<v Speaker 1>brain tissue. The attack has reversed a lot of injuries

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<v Speaker 1>the old science said was permanent. Roland felt a painful,

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<v Speaker 1>tugging sensation in his chest. He thought back to the

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<v Speaker 1>woman from his dreams with the damascene teeth. He saw

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<v Speaker 1>her every few weeks, trapped in some foggy memory or another.

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<v Speaker 1>Her name felt like it was always on the tip

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<v Speaker 1>of his tongue. He didn't know what she'd meant to him,

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<v Speaker 1>but the thought of her twisted his heart into knots.

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<v Speaker 1>It was maddening, not even knowing what she'd been to him,

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<v Speaker 1>or he to her. Roland frowned, turned his head and

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<v Speaker 1>locked eyes with Jim, eating a bunch of FED funded

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<v Speaker 1>school scientists are gonna help me. Roland asked he had

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<v Speaker 1>a strong feeling none of the governments on this continent

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<v Speaker 1>or fans of me. Jim waved a careless hand less

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<v Speaker 1>the issue, He said, those am fed motherfucker's at pragmatists.

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<v Speaker 1>I've been in and out of the Northeast half a

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<v Speaker 1>dozen times just this year. You do work they value,

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<v Speaker 1>and they ignore a little. Terrorism memories hazy, Roland said,

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<v Speaker 1>but I know little is inaccurate. I think we killed

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<v Speaker 1>a skyscraper. Ha, you don't remember that the Diamond building

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<v Speaker 1>and photo one a hundred and twenty floors of rich

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<v Speaker 1>pigs wallowing in ship. We slipped a bombing during an

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<v Speaker 1>Austeritius summit led by the CEOs of the Big Fall.

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<v Speaker 1>Bugged the conference room so we could hear him scream

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<v Speaker 1>when that first blast cut the support beams. It was

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<v Speaker 1>better than sex. There was a peculiar joy in Jim's eyes,

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<v Speaker 1>his chest snakes writhed in orgiastic glee. Roland felt queasy. Rowland,

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<v Speaker 1>Jim added, the sons of bitches had it coming, maybe,

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<v Speaker 1>Roland said, but I know we didn't just kill CEOs.

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<v Speaker 1>I remember other times kids, not kids, Jim insisted, as

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<v Speaker 1>young enough to take full advantage of juven the future

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<v Speaker 1>undying lords of capital. They had to go. Roland shivered.

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<v Speaker 1>Even if they did, I'm sort of glad I don't

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<v Speaker 1>remember it. Jim shrugged, swirled his coffee cup, and stared

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<v Speaker 1>into it for a minute. If he'd been anyone else,

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<v Speaker 1>Rowland would have been able to read his emotions by

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<v Speaker 1>the sense coming off of him and the micro expressions

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<v Speaker 1>on his face. Most post humans were just as easy

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<v Speaker 1>to read as regular humans. It took a mix of

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<v Speaker 1>very specific surgeries and a hell of a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>time spent in practice to hide anything from Roland. It

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<v Speaker 1>said a lot that Jim had considered the expense worth while.

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<v Speaker 1>Violence is the coin that buys the future, Jim said,

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<v Speaker 1>there was a time when you explained that to me.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't remember that conversation, Roland said, but it's been

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<v Speaker 1>years since I've taken a life. You have a couple

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<v Speaker 1>of four skins, one guy's hand. Sure, sometimes a point

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<v Speaker 1>needs making. I haven't killed anyone in a long time, though.

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<v Speaker 1>That's why all the folks you sent to my door

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<v Speaker 1>are still alive. And I mean to stay on the

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<v Speaker 1>wagon Killing's not one, and on this mission, Jim assured him,

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<v Speaker 1>just property destruction. I need two or three days of

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<v Speaker 1>your unrivaled ship up fucking expertise. Roland flicked a suspicious

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<v Speaker 1>eyebrow at his old friend property, he asked. Jim nodded.

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<v Speaker 1>A couple of guys might need crippling along the way,

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<v Speaker 1>but no killing. So what's this gig? Roland was interested now,

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<v Speaker 1>in spite of himself sabotage, Jim's lips curled up in

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<v Speaker 1>a feral grin. Over the last few months, we've noticed

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<v Speaker 1>a substantial build up among the radical Christian militias in

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<v Speaker 1>north and central Texas. We Roland asked, my own organization,

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<v Speaker 1>and the am FED the Central Intelligence Agency. Roland couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>help but laugh. I remember enough of the old days

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<v Speaker 1>to appreciate the irony of you working with the CIA.

0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:57.160
<v Speaker 1>Jim's head cocked just a little to the left, he grimaced.

0:11:57.400 --> 0:11:59.440
<v Speaker 1>Roland wasn't sure, but he thought his friend might be

0:11:59.440 --> 0:12:03.160
<v Speaker 1>a little arrist and defensive. Anyone who lives long enough

0:12:03.200 --> 0:12:05.920
<v Speaker 1>becomes a hypocrite, Jim said with a shrug. I'd hope

0:12:05.960 --> 0:12:09.160
<v Speaker 1>to hold out longer, but their satellite coverage is fucking phenomenal.

0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:12.240
<v Speaker 1>I'll send you the intel. He made a flicking gesture

0:12:12.280 --> 0:12:15.040
<v Speaker 1>towards Roland with his right index finger, and then frowned

0:12:15.040 --> 0:12:17.880
<v Speaker 1>in annoyance. You might be the last dark brain on

0:12:17.920 --> 0:12:21.280
<v Speaker 1>this continent, you know that. Roland wasn't sure why he'd

0:12:21.280 --> 0:12:24.360
<v Speaker 1>disconnected himself from the Internet. It seemed to annoy other people,

0:12:24.400 --> 0:12:27.160
<v Speaker 1>but he rather enjoyed it. His hind brain had absorbed

0:12:27.200 --> 0:12:29.600
<v Speaker 1>peda bites of data before he'd severed the link, so

0:12:29.640 --> 0:12:32.000
<v Speaker 1>he never found himself needing to consult a Wicki to

0:12:32.040 --> 0:12:35.720
<v Speaker 1>remember the equations behind the Coriolis effect or a bullet's trajectory.

0:12:36.160 --> 0:12:39.120
<v Speaker 1>You could have walked from Canada to Venezuela without encountering

0:12:39.160 --> 0:12:42.360
<v Speaker 1>a plant or animal his distributed mechanical brain couldn't name.

0:12:42.920 --> 0:12:45.600
<v Speaker 1>The only downside to his situation was that he couldn't

0:12:45.679 --> 0:12:49.240
<v Speaker 1>keep up with politics or bleeding edge military technology. He

0:12:49.320 --> 0:12:52.839
<v Speaker 1>only gleaned that sort of information by experience or conversation,

0:12:53.400 --> 0:12:57.400
<v Speaker 1>and being a creepy godlike being who sometimes circumcised trespassers,

0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:01.840
<v Speaker 1>Roland didn't have many conversations. One of Jim's aids ran

0:13:01.960 --> 0:13:04.840
<v Speaker 1>up and handed Roland a paper thin tablet. Jim directed

0:13:04.920 --> 0:13:07.160
<v Speaker 1>him through a dozen satellite images of what looked like

0:13:07.320 --> 0:13:12.599
<v Speaker 1>vehicle and ammunition depots. Roland's hindbrain recognized that Dallas road systems. Immediately,

0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:16.319
<v Speaker 1>a surge of since memory hit him. Fire so much fire,

0:13:16.360 --> 0:13:18.200
<v Speaker 1>the smell of it only drowned out by the intense

0:13:18.200 --> 0:13:21.000
<v Speaker 1>stink of thirty thousand people panicking. At the same time,

0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:24.400
<v Speaker 1>Roland felt bullets dig into his flesh. He saw hate

0:13:24.440 --> 0:13:26.280
<v Speaker 1>in the eyes of the advancing cops, and he felt

0:13:26.280 --> 0:13:29.120
<v Speaker 1>a corresponding surge of glee. As his brain started to

0:13:29.120 --> 0:13:32.559
<v Speaker 1>pump out battle drugs. He squeezed his trigger. Roland shook

0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:35.040
<v Speaker 1>his head, pulled his mind back into the present moment.

0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:38.640
<v Speaker 1>Jim frowned, but didn't say anything. He just pointed back

0:13:38.679 --> 0:13:42.080
<v Speaker 1>at the tablet. Roland focused again. It appeared to be

0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:44.920
<v Speaker 1>a satellite image of a defensive line in Dallas. He

0:13:45.000 --> 0:13:48.040
<v Speaker 1>noted a large number of military vehicles piled into several

0:13:48.040 --> 0:13:52.480
<v Speaker 1>parking garages. What's going on here, he asked, suit carriers.

0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:56.760
<v Speaker 1>Jim said, couple dozen of em Roland shook his head. Impossible,

0:13:56.840 --> 0:13:59.920
<v Speaker 1>that'd be enough to support what six hundred power armored fighters.

0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:03.160
<v Speaker 1>Those are nation state numbers and other Republic of Texas

0:14:03.200 --> 0:14:04.959
<v Speaker 1>as a ship show. But there's no way they'd let

0:14:04.960 --> 0:14:06.760
<v Speaker 1>some in surge and militia build an army like that

0:14:06.880 --> 0:14:11.559
<v Speaker 1>in their borders. Maybe not, Jim said, maybe so, truth told,

0:14:11.640 --> 0:14:14.120
<v Speaker 1>I don't care what's parked in those garages. You blow

0:14:14.200 --> 0:14:17.000
<v Speaker 1>em up, I get paid, and you get your fancy surgery.

0:14:18.120 --> 0:14:21.840
<v Speaker 1>Roland felt uneasy. The job itself seemed too simple. The

0:14:22.000 --> 0:14:24.480
<v Speaker 1>killed team Jim had sent to wake Roland up probably

0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:27.240
<v Speaker 1>could have done this job with a few reinforcements. It

0:14:27.320 --> 0:14:30.360
<v Speaker 1>seemed weird that some nutbar extremists could get their hands

0:14:30.360 --> 0:14:35.560
<v Speaker 1>on that many suits. Roland just didn't trust the whole situation. Jim,

0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:38.640
<v Speaker 1>he asked, can you promise me this memory thing will work?

0:14:38.920 --> 0:14:42.640
<v Speaker 1>Fuck no, Jim scoffed, I can't even promise you'll survive.

0:14:42.920 --> 0:14:46.120
<v Speaker 1>This is a bleeding edge mad science operation. The infant

0:14:46.200 --> 0:14:48.200
<v Speaker 1>is willing to break in a national law to work

0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:51.080
<v Speaker 1>on a wanted terrorist. I'm half sure they just want

0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:53.400
<v Speaker 1>to see what happens when they stopped poking around your skull.

0:14:53.760 --> 0:14:56.040
<v Speaker 1>You might be making the worst mistake of your life here,

0:14:56.360 --> 0:14:58.560
<v Speaker 1>but at least you'll die after blowing up a bunch

0:14:58.600 --> 0:15:02.440
<v Speaker 1>of gear owned by Crystal Fashion just assholes. Roland considered

0:15:02.480 --> 0:15:06.000
<v Speaker 1>for a long moment, then nod at his assent. Alright,

0:15:06.080 --> 0:15:08.920
<v Speaker 1>then you've convinced me. I'm in as long as this

0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:13.960
<v Speaker 1>stay is a sabotage mission. No killing, no killing. Jim agreed.

0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:17.360
<v Speaker 1>They both stared out at the vacant desert for some time.

0:15:17.920 --> 0:15:20.640
<v Speaker 1>Roland found himself humming along to a song he couldn't

0:15:20.720 --> 0:15:24.640
<v Speaker 1>name or even remember hearing. Jim hummed along with him.

0:15:24.680 --> 0:15:27.680
<v Speaker 1>He put a hand on Roland's shoulder. That felt good.

0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:30.240
<v Speaker 1>There was something about human contact that none of the

0:15:30.280 --> 0:15:33.280
<v Speaker 1>machines in his head could replicate. They sat for a

0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:38.320
<v Speaker 1>while longer. Then Jim squeezed Roland's shoulder and stood come

0:15:38.360 --> 0:15:46.720
<v Speaker 1>for another peaceful wall. Then, hey, everybody, Robert Evans here.

0:15:46.720 --> 0:15:48.680
<v Speaker 1>I hope you just enjoyed the chapter you listen to.

0:15:48.840 --> 0:15:51.080
<v Speaker 1>I hope you enjoyed the chapters to come. If you

0:15:51.080 --> 0:15:53.560
<v Speaker 1>would like to read the text version of this book

0:15:53.760 --> 0:15:56.120
<v Speaker 1>either on the web or on your e reader as

0:15:56.160 --> 0:15:58.640
<v Speaker 1>an e pub, you can find those on the website

0:15:58.720 --> 0:16:02.600
<v Speaker 1>a t r book dot com. So again, the free

0:16:02.800 --> 0:16:05.720
<v Speaker 1>ad free e pub and the text of every chapter

0:16:05.880 --> 0:16:09.440
<v Speaker 1>will be on a t r book dot com. Thanks