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killer shrike adds to the deluge
Sun Oct 24, 2004 at 02:47:19 am EDT
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Follies of Youth Part Eighteen
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Follies of Youth, Chapter Eighteen


Hero of the Day


Another Acrobot flew across the Training Room, crashing violently into the far wall. Before the automaton could rise Mr. Epitome leapt upon it and twisted its head off. It exhaled a geyser of sparks from its open neck and fell to the ground. Epitome used the demolished skull as a missile to knock a hole in another of his sparring partners.

“Scenario off,” a feminine voice ordered the combat simulation to shut down. Those few robots still functioning went into sleep mode. Epitome looked unhappy.

“I wasn’t finished,” he said to seemingly no one.

The green and pleasant form of Hallie, the Lair Legion’s artificial intelligence, materialized, “Oh, I think you are. You need to find some other way of working out your anger towards Dream, one that isn’t going to use up the team’s training budget for the next three years.”

“I’m not working out any anger,” the Exemplary Teen said firmly as he crossed his arms across his chest.

“Oh,” Hallie eyed the sprawl of fluorescent green and orange body parts that lay scattered across the floor, “Really?”

Dominic threw up his arms, “OK, so I let him get to me. Just who does he think he is, ordering me around? I may look sixteen, but I have all of my accumulated experience and memories.”

“Except the ones you’ve forgotten, like Glory,” Hallie pointed out.

“Well, maybe so,” Epitome looked distressed, “I think there are some areas of knowledge I can’t fully access.”

“The human brain goes through cycles of growth and decline throughout a person’s life, including a period of self-pruning during the teen years. Maybe that’s what’s responsible,” Hallie offered.

“That’s right,” the Paragon of Power was impressed, “Very sound reasoning, Hallie.”

“Why, thank you, Mr. Epitome.”

Dominic Clancy smiled at her briefly, then grew very serious, “Uh, do you like Metallica?”

“The band? Hold on,” Hallie downloaded their complete catalog from the Internet and gave it a listen, “They’re OK, I suppose,” she decided.

“I have two tickets to their concert at the Parodopolis Civic Center. Would you be interested in going?”

“Uhuhuh, what?” the hologram stammered.

“Would you like to go see Metallica with me?”

Hallie nervousness subroutines compelled her to remove her glasses and polish them absently, “Well, I think, maybe, that’s not a good idea, Mr. Epitome.”

“You can call me Dominic,” the young man said as he unbuckled his chin strap, “Why is it a bad idea, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“Well, given your current situation-”

“I’m sure I will have this age distortion phenomenon sorted out by the time of the performance,” Dominic pulled off his mask and jammed it into his back pocket.

Hallie squirmed, “That’s not what I meant. I’m thinking more about how this transformation has affected you hormonally, and how that might be clouding your judgment.”

“No,” he objected, “I mean, I think you’re really great. You’re smart and you look great and I admire what you’re doing, how you’ve overcome your- I don’t want to say limitations because that sounds chauvinistic, but your…”

“Programming?” Hallie offered.

“Yeah. Yes. I think that’s remarkable,” Epitome was speaking with a disturbing level of earnestness, “and I’d like to learn more about you.”

Hallie looked a bit flustered, “That’s all very kind of you to say, but…” she paused, “Now isn’t a good time.”

“Oh, OK,” Dominic shrugged, “Never hurts to ask, right?”

“No, no it doesn’t,” Hallie activated the Training Room’s disposal droids. The machines clambered about, taking away the debris that was left of Mr. Epitome’s work out session.

“That extra ticket, you didn’t buy it for me did you?” she asked the young man as he got ready to leave.

“No, that was for the Idiom,” he admitted, “Back before she got abducted.”

“And before you saved her.”

“Yo saved her, and then “President” spiffy granted her asylum,” Epitome seemed embarrassed that he didn’t have a larger role in her rescue. He turned to go, but paused for one last admission.

“I thought that she and I would be together, make the world a better place together, you know, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

“Oh?” Hallie said with some interest.

“Yeah, he smiled a crooked smile, “Looks like I’m going to have to find someone else to save the world with.”






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