Ctrl Alt Dlt: Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“They have found him.” This simple comment sent muttering around the room. When a woman called out the question, “Which side has found him?” She answered “Both, but only the Hackers seem to be approaching,” more confused muttering,” but that doesn’t mean that the Firewall isn’t trying to kill him, everyone, I trust, knows that they already have theirs. The humanities are going to make some discord in a day or two, there is nothing we can do about it, but should we try to convince the second of our cause?
The mention of their goals caused everyone to repeat it mentally. To make one humanity whole and the other gone, so that the fighting will only take place on one level, and peace be that much closer to an actuality.
“No,” one voice said, “Sources I control tell us that he is already friends with one, and trusts another with his life, both on the Hackers side. It would be a waste of time to even attempt to convince him, because even if you were to convince him to kill his friends, you could not convince him to kill himself, he is to much like an animal in that regard, I think, that on the open battle field, he would not die, for he guards his life with a passion.”
”Thank you for your insight, anyone else... no one, so are we all in agreement then? We must kill him.” Anyone else of true humanity would have been repulsed at the very idea of murder, they would have voted to merely make him forget. Yet every hand in the room was raised in favor of his true death.

* * * * * * * * * * *

James had had a very interesting life. He was born to a wealthy family and had the education to prove it. James had graduated with honors from Yale when he was 19. But he decided his life had way too much drama and finally broke away from his parents, which he had been trying to do for most of his adult life. About five years ago, 2027, he had been approached by a group of strangers. These strangers answered questions about himself and this world that James had had for as long as he could remember. These men accepted him and treated him as an equal, but even there he had to see his parents, for these people required quite a bit of money, some of which could and would be provided by James.
James had come to be an officer of the law when he had learned that an old friend might be on the force, this old friend, in fact. “Your skin. Your face.” James was shocked and happy to have finally found him, and as an afterthought, Odysseus would be very happy about this.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Kerry was white as a ghost from the moment he had been born. He was a full-fledged albino. After he was born his parents had put him up for adoption, but, as Karry had learned, people did not seem to like things that were out of the norm. He had been placed in an adoption center and had lived there for all of his childhood. Fortunately the state had passed legislature that set a minimum health standard, this meant that he had to have four consecutive eye surgeries so that his eyes did not point in opposite directions, and then two laser surgeries to cure his horrible vision. Admittedly, his vision still was only 30/35, which is why he had prescription bifocals, which had cost several thousand dollars. Karry’s eyes were overly sensitive to light, so the doctors gave him a pair of extra dark glasses. All of this had happened before he was ten.
At the orphanage he had endured hardships from the day he arrived, even if he couldn’t remember. There was already a hierarchy of power in the orphanage and a young boy named Joe was at the top. Joe was nine, and he made life hard for Karry from the first moment that he could remember, and apparently before that. Things like, “Pasty face, wasted space” were chanted whenever Joe got mad, because at the orphanage, if Joe wasn’t your friend, then no one was. Blank crumpled paper and consent taunting assaulted Kerry every day, but he learned to ignore it and over came it, even accepted it. Kerry learned from them how not to be, and it made him strong. He told himself that he would not, now or ever, need help or friendship from anyone. By the age of 5, Kerry was more self reliant and comprehending then most people ever were. Joe was adopted when Kerry was 9, and Kerry never saw him again. Nobody missed him, really. Kids came and went regularly; it was just part of life at an Orphanage. But Kerry missed him like a brother. Joe had taught him how to be self reliant, how to suppress any desire, how to be brilliant. But above all, he missed his presence. No one ever noticed Kerry, no one but Joe. Joe noticed him every day of his life, as far back as he could remember, had given him attention, so what if it was negative, no body else noticed him like Joe, not even the arrogant adults. Maybe that was just Joe’s way to show that he loved him, and the kindness that Joe showed the others was a clever way to show contempt. Kerry had never needed help, never wanted help, after that. He wanted Joe.