Nice addition Marc! I like how the Mayor is developed and his interest in things seem natural, even if he's (possibly) not understanding the downsides to what he's proposing. It feels like we've managed to draw in everything at the beginning now and explain it, so all that's left to do is find a conclusion. But it's not at all clear to me, yet, what that conclusion will be.
Mine Stacey turned her head -- her shoulders were held fixed by those hands -- a scream stifling as her throat constricted. A man, much taller than her -- he must be nearly seven feet tall -- wearing a tailored grey suit and black driving gloves, was gripping her shoulders. His face was almost as grey as his suit and the flesh looked strangely supple and plastic, as though it had been burned by fire, or chemicals, perhaps. He was wearing sunglasses even though it wasn't brightly lit in here, and it was still night outside. And he was strong; she'd struggled but his grip was like a vice clamped on her. Tried to warn you came Ana's thoughts. You were busy, I think. He came from upstairs, not outside. Only one of him. Where are you? thought Stacey, worry surging through her like a spring tide. Tied up on the couch. He's very light on his feet for a big man. "This is Gunther," said the Mayor. He sighed. "He's not going to hurt you, but you were talking about failures... this is one of the failures." "What do you mean?" Stacey's attention was pulled back to this room, and she looked back at the Mayor. His face was long and sad, and he was cleaning his nails on one hand with the nails of the other unconsciously. "Dr. MacDonald was a very clever man," said the Mayor as though she hadn't spoken. "He had ideas, and he thought about them for a long time until he was sure of them. But even then, sometimes they turned out to be wrong. And then he got... failures." I can hear someone at the door said Ana inside Stacey's head. I'm pretty sure it's Ben or David. The Ladies M would probably be knocking on the front door demanding to be let in. "Gunther, will you take your glasses off, please?" Stacey looked round, her neck aching from not being able to move her shoulders. Gunther released his grip on her left shoulder, but the right one was still firmly trapped, and reached up. He removed his glasses and Stacey gasped. There was an itchy feeling in the back of her mind; Ana was borrowing her sight. Two pupils in each eye she said, while Stacey noted that each pupil was a different colour: one brown and one green in each eye. "Dr. MacDonald wanted to see if the benefits of the twins could be all given to one person," said the Mayor. "Extended lifespan, remove any time in childhood or puberty, double the intelligence, double the physical capabilities. Gunther here was his attempt at that. He got two people in one body, really." Instant human, just add water thought Ana. "Childhood really isn't something you should miss out on," said Stacey, her thoughts drifting back to remembering what her childhood had been like, and how puzzled Ana had been about so much of it. "Not for everyone, obviously," said the Mayor. "But in terms of an army... soldiers that only need basic training and can be produced in nine months, well, that would be very attractive. A year to grow entire battalions, it would be a miracle. When it's known that you have something like that, war would end. Who would dare fight you?" They said the same thing about the atomic bomb said Ana. The noise at the door has stopped, I think they've gone away again. I guess none of the other twins needed to learn how to pick locks.
I'm not certain you needed to learn how to pick locks, thought Stacey. "What's it like, seeing like that?" she asked Gunther. He put his sunglasses back on and took hold of her left shoulder again. "Answer the young lady, Gunther," said the Mayor. Gunther's answer was an ululating howl, something that ought to be produced by a cross between a monkey and a wolf. "Two minds fighting for control of the brain," said the Mayor. He shook his head, and Stacey stared in disbelief, the man was actually crying. "Gunther has motor control so the body functions fairly well. He fights constantly with his sibling for the rest of it, so he can barely speak. When he writes one hand is Gunther and other is his sibling... he calls him Gandalf. Sometimes he sits and shakes for minutes while war wages in his head. It's a tragedy." He looked at Stacey, his eyes bright with tears. "This is what you and your twin can help us avoid." "How?" Stacey only realised she'd spoken a second after the word had come out of her mouth. She felt numb, trying to understand why the Mayor would risk this happening again. "You and Ana can provide a template," said the Mayor. "I've been working on this for nearly ten years. Dr. MacDonald leaving when he did was... unfortunate. It could have gone so much faster. But we're there I think, we understand the technology so much better now. Peace is within our grasp." For someone who sounds like a propagandist from the Second World War thought Ana he really doesn't seemed to have learned anything from what happened during it. "What if Ana doesn't want to help?" asked Stacey. Oh thanks, blame me! The Mayor looked down at his hands and seemed to realise that he was cleaning his nails. He stopped, and folded his hands behind his back. "For something as important as world peace, I think that perhaps a little coercion would be understood," he said. "The bare minimum, obviously. But selfishness can't be allowed for something like this. I can see you understand." Something thumped on the floor above them, and the Mayor looked up. "Strange," he said. "We should be alone here. Gunther, leave Stacey with me and go and see what that noise was please."
Now's your chance Ana told her as Gunther left the room as instructed.
To do what?
Kick him in the balls and run? You can untie me and we'll be out the door before that giant comes back downstairs.
Yeah, I'm sure Ben and David would really appreciate that.
Well if you have a better idea I'm al-
"You're talking to her now, aren't you?" the mayor asked, eyeing her like a child examining a new toy. "How delightfully fascinating. Is she okay? Gunter didn't tie her up too tightly?"
"She's fine," Stacey said, shrugging her shoulders and rolling her neck as she tried to erase the memory of Gunther's grip. "Wait. How did you know he tied Ana up?"
"As smart as you are beautiful," the mayor said with a slight shake of his head and a smile that made her shudder. "Gunther and I have our own special relationship too. One that you and your twin missed out on, unfortunately."
"What are you talk...?" But then it hit her at the same time as it did Ana.
He's Gunther's father.
"It can be difficult," the mayor told her. "Some days are harder than others. But it's worth it. They are worth it. I thank Dr. MacDonald every single day for my boys."
"I... don't know what to say," Stacey said, stunned. From the floor above them came the sound of a scuffle taking place. Objects of varying weight hit the floor in rapid succession. "What... what's happening up there?"
"Gunther is handling things, don't you worry." Another thump, this one similar to the one that had first alerted them to another presence in the building. Then an impact that seemed to shake the entire house. "Gunther?"
Okay, Ana told her. Now's your chance.
"Gunther?" The mayor's face transformed into a mask of indignant rage. "Gandalf?!?"
"I'm sure he's... they're fine," Stacey said, swallowing hard and backing away as the mayor fixed his wild gaze on her.
3 comments:
Nice addition Marc! I like how the Mayor is developed and his interest in things seem natural, even if he's (possibly) not understanding the downsides to what he's proposing. It feels like we've managed to draw in everything at the beginning now and explain it, so all that's left to do is find a conclusion. But it's not at all clear to me, yet, what that conclusion will be.
Mine
Stacey turned her head -- her shoulders were held fixed by those hands -- a scream stifling as her throat constricted. A man, much taller than her -- he must be nearly seven feet tall -- wearing a tailored grey suit and black driving gloves, was gripping her shoulders. His face was almost as grey as his suit and the flesh looked strangely supple and plastic, as though it had been burned by fire, or chemicals, perhaps. He was wearing sunglasses even though it wasn't brightly lit in here, and it was still night outside. And he was strong; she'd struggled but his grip was like a vice clamped on her.
Tried to warn you came Ana's thoughts. You were busy, I think. He came from upstairs, not outside. Only one of him.
Where are you? thought Stacey, worry surging through her like a spring tide.
Tied up on the couch. He's very light on his feet for a big man.
"This is Gunther," said the Mayor. He sighed. "He's not going to hurt you, but you were talking about failures... this is one of the failures."
"What do you mean?" Stacey's attention was pulled back to this room, and she looked back at the Mayor. His face was long and sad, and he was cleaning his nails on one hand with the nails of the other unconsciously.
"Dr. MacDonald was a very clever man," said the Mayor as though she hadn't spoken. "He had ideas, and he thought about them for a long time until he was sure of them. But even then, sometimes they turned out to be wrong. And then he got... failures."
I can hear someone at the door said Ana inside Stacey's head. I'm pretty sure it's Ben or David. The Ladies M would probably be knocking on the front door demanding to be let in.
"Gunther, will you take your glasses off, please?"
Stacey looked round, her neck aching from not being able to move her shoulders. Gunther released his grip on her left shoulder, but the right one was still firmly trapped, and reached up. He removed his glasses and Stacey gasped. There was an itchy feeling in the back of her mind; Ana was borrowing her sight.
Two pupils in each eye she said, while Stacey noted that each pupil was a different colour: one brown and one green in each eye.
"Dr. MacDonald wanted to see if the benefits of the twins could be all given to one person," said the Mayor. "Extended lifespan, remove any time in childhood or puberty, double the intelligence, double the physical capabilities. Gunther here was his attempt at that. He got two people in one body, really."
Instant human, just add water thought Ana.
"Childhood really isn't something you should miss out on," said Stacey, her thoughts drifting back to remembering what her childhood had been like, and how puzzled Ana had been about so much of it.
"Not for everyone, obviously," said the Mayor. "But in terms of an army... soldiers that only need basic training and can be produced in nine months, well, that would be very attractive. A year to grow entire battalions, it would be a miracle. When it's known that you have something like that, war would end. Who would dare fight you?"
They said the same thing about the atomic bomb said Ana. The noise at the door has stopped, I think they've gone away again. I guess none of the other twins needed to learn how to pick locks.
I'm not certain you needed to learn how to pick locks, thought Stacey.
"What's it like, seeing like that?" she asked Gunther. He put his sunglasses back on and took hold of her left shoulder again.
"Answer the young lady, Gunther," said the Mayor. Gunther's answer was an ululating howl, something that ought to be produced by a cross between a monkey and a wolf.
"Two minds fighting for control of the brain," said the Mayor. He shook his head, and Stacey stared in disbelief, the man was actually crying. "Gunther has motor control so the body functions fairly well. He fights constantly with his sibling for the rest of it, so he can barely speak. When he writes one hand is Gunther and other is his sibling... he calls him Gandalf. Sometimes he sits and shakes for minutes while war wages in his head. It's a tragedy." He looked at Stacey, his eyes bright with tears. "This is what you and your twin can help us avoid."
"How?" Stacey only realised she'd spoken a second after the word had come out of her mouth. She felt numb, trying to understand why the Mayor would risk this happening again.
"You and Ana can provide a template," said the Mayor. "I've been working on this for nearly ten years. Dr. MacDonald leaving when he did was... unfortunate. It could have gone so much faster. But we're there I think, we understand the technology so much better now. Peace is within our grasp."
For someone who sounds like a propagandist from the Second World War thought Ana he really doesn't seemed to have learned anything from what happened during it.
"What if Ana doesn't want to help?" asked Stacey.
Oh thanks, blame me!
The Mayor looked down at his hands and seemed to realise that he was cleaning his nails. He stopped, and folded his hands behind his back. "For something as important as world peace, I think that perhaps a little coercion would be understood," he said. "The bare minimum, obviously. But selfishness can't be allowed for something like this. I can see you understand."
Something thumped on the floor above them, and the Mayor looked up.
"Strange," he said. "We should be alone here. Gunther, leave Stacey with me and go and see what that noise was please."
Now's your chance Ana told her as Gunther left the room as instructed.
To do what?
Kick him in the balls and run? You can untie me and we'll be out the door before that giant comes back downstairs.
Yeah, I'm sure Ben and David would really appreciate that.
Well if you have a better idea I'm al-
"You're talking to her now, aren't you?" the mayor asked, eyeing her like a child examining a new toy. "How delightfully fascinating. Is she okay? Gunter didn't tie her up too tightly?"
"She's fine," Stacey said, shrugging her shoulders and rolling her neck as she tried to erase the memory of Gunther's grip. "Wait. How did you know he tied Ana up?"
"As smart as you are beautiful," the mayor said with a slight shake of his head and a smile that made her shudder. "Gunther and I have our own special relationship too. One that you and your twin missed out on, unfortunately."
"What are you talk...?" But then it hit her at the same time as it did Ana.
He's Gunther's father.
"It can be difficult," the mayor told her. "Some days are harder than others. But it's worth it. They are worth it. I thank Dr. MacDonald every single day for my boys."
"I... don't know what to say," Stacey said, stunned. From the floor above them came the sound of a scuffle taking place. Objects of varying weight hit the floor in rapid succession. "What... what's happening up there?"
"Gunther is handling things, don't you worry." Another thump, this one similar to the one that had first alerted them to another presence in the building. Then an impact that seemed to shake the entire house. "Gunther?"
Okay, Ana told her. Now's your chance.
"Gunther?" The mayor's face transformed into a mask of indignant rage. "Gandalf?!?"
"I'm sure he's... they're fine," Stacey said, swallowing hard and backing away as the mayor fixed his wild gaze on her.
"What have you done to my boys?!?"
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