From b265b70a8ca818231d131f72ddd2becb1be20101 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: shmick Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2020 23:30:53 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] Added today's writing --- General Chapters.md | 199 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 199 insertions(+) diff --git a/General Chapters.md b/General Chapters.md index 3ddfb9e..ca06ef0 100644 --- a/General Chapters.md +++ b/General Chapters.md @@ -1,3 +1,11 @@ +The Difference Between an Idiot + +and a Moron + +General Chapters + +To be Incorporated + ***Chapter ****\[****\]****-- Corporal Adir Levin*** "Says here you're a, uhm, corporal?" said the NCO sitting across from @@ -768,3 +776,194 @@ Adir was so, so tired, and Programming was purring softly, which Adir loved because he'd never had a cat before, much less a feline cat. 'I'm not running', he tossed back, annoyed. + +Chapter III -- Corporal Adir Levin + +Adir was woken up with a jolt by Ariel, who towered over him seeming +mildly upset. + +The first thing he felt was a sharp pain in his temples, and he +shuddered back with disgruntled revulsion. + +Everything came crashing back at once -- he had spent another night in +the Pit, and was now paying the price for it. The headaches hurt him +very often lately, which was understandable -- yet it was the worst when +waking up in here. *No one should have to wake up without sunlight, +without wind and fresh air*, he thought. But that didn't explain why +Ariel was towering over him -- he was deemed problematic, and she had +shunned him ever since. He didn't mind, of course, as he was shunning +everyone else as well. What a bunch of bastards. + +But that *still* didn't explain why Ariel was towering over him. He +sought answers. + +"Huh?" he asked eloquently. + +"Huh," Ariel replied with visible disgust. "Good morning." + +"I've had better." + +"Everyone else is cleaning." + +Great, he thought, Passive aggression for breakfast again. + +"OK" + +"Go help." + +"I'm really in pain." + +"Can't you even help?" + +"I don't know." + +Ariel kept staring him down, which was unusually aggressive for her. She +was always quite cheerful and accepting, which Adir absolutely hated. Is +he really that bad? + +"Go wash your face or something. You're a mess." + +"If you'd had a night like I had," he answered, "You'd be a mess too." + +"I've had plenty." + +"Good for you." + +Ariel finally disengaged. Adir rose from his office chair -- how he ever +fell asleep in that thing he could not tell for the life of him -- put +away his book, tossed aside his coat and went towards the bathroom. +Looking around, he was dumbstruck by the amount of people in the room. +There were well over four dozen people in Operation today, which was +significant, and they were all running around with great vigor. + +He had to dodge several officers on the way out, all of which eyed him +suspiciously -- some with open animosity, though he did not know them. + +He was glad to put Operation's big metal doors behind him, and started +the endless trek through the hall to the bathrooms, praying no one else +was there. He creeped on the floating tiles with hard won mastery -- if +even one of them bangs again today his head would literally explode -- +and reached the bathroom. + +He stood in front of one of the sinks in the long, disgusting row, +keeping his eyes lowered and doing his utmost to ignore his +surroundings. He reached in his pockets and was glad to find his +toothbrush, toothpaste and a bar of soap each wrapped neatly in plastic +sandwich bags -- at last a success in these troubling times. He brushed +his teeth, lathered the soap and carefully washed his face with frigid, +mildly yellow water. When he felt mildly more refreshed, he finally +gathered some loose wisps of courage and met his image on the mirror. + +His reflection gazed back, amazed and horrified. + +The image he saw was very far from how he remembered himself, and the +dissonance jarred him. + +He was gaunt, and there were great dark gray circles around his eyes. He +had far too much stubble for a single night, and his faced looked +wrinkled and greasy even after washing. And the eyes... the eyes felt... +wrong. Too cold. Too lifeless. He quickly looked away, realizing he was +breathing uneasily. + +Slinking back he found everyone putting away the cleaning supplies, but +against his expectations the frenzy did not slow down -- it even +magnified, which was disconcerting. Nothing good can come out of this. + +Unhelpfully, the first person he ran into was Keren. + +From the second he stepped into Headquarters, Keren absolutely despised +Adir -- and this time, he could not figure out why. It was something +else -- a raw, seething hatred, a hatred of great velocity, intensified +with each time they met. In a way, it was refreshing to be hated so +intensely -- and while Adir did mildly dislike her for it, he did not +hate her back nearly as much, which sort of made him the winner in this +transaction. + +"Ariel, he finally bothered showing up", she muttered back into the +Operations Chamber staring at him yet never addressing him. To her, he +was some animal unworthy of engaging in conversation, and if that was a +mean to attain the peace Adir so desperately sought he took it without +hesitation. + +Ariel scurried towards them from much further back in the chamber with a +speed that greatly concerned him. This was not good. + +"Where have you been?? it's been twenty minutes!" + +"I-" + +"Ugh, never mind. Just go back and get in line." She surveyed him +carefully. "And put on all of your badges, Why would you even take them +off?" + +"I-" + +"Never mind. Your problem. Model yourself and get in line. The +commander's coming any minute." + +With that, they both scattered. Adir stood there dazed and confused for +a few seconds until Karin passed nearby. + +"Hi, Adir" + +Adir admired Karin greatly. She always seemed peaceful, and always +treated him with respect. + +"Hi, Karin. What's happening?" + +"The unit commander is coming any second to grant our ranks." she +replied without a hint of judgment. "The grant is scheduled for 10:00" + +"The grant?" + +"Yes, we're getting our corporals!" Karin told, beaming. "You didn't +know?" + +"I had no idea. It's been ten months already?" + +"Would you believe it?" Dennis chimed in from behind. "We've been stuck +here a while!" + +"See you," said Karin and went further into the chamber. + +Adir sat down in his spot and pondered all these new findings when +officers flooded the room, put on their berets and rose suddenly. A +bunch of random people stood around Adir, all with eyes towards the back +of the room where Adir's eight coursemates stood proud and motionless. +Grateful for the anonymity, Adir stood like the rest and gazed ahead +with purpose. + +The Horizon commander, Secondary Champion Ram Halabi, stepped into the +room after an escort of officers from PR. He walked around the room +casually greeting anyone he came across with an easygoing, friendly +manner as he made his way towards the back. Adir was again grateful for +his tactical remote location, far away from the passageway. The +department commander, John, quickly appeared at his side. + +"Hello, everyone. Officers, NCO's, soldiers. How happy I am to be here! +What a happy day!" + +A murmur of agreement came from the crowd. + +"Hello, Ram, happy to have you here as always", said John with atypical +enthusiasm. "So, as you may or may not know", he said cheerfully, "We've +gathered to grant these great soldiers, cycle 38 of Computing Systems +Infrastructure Management, the rank of Corporals. In the Greens, and in +other units of the force, it's not the custom to make it a ceremony; +Certainly not with the unit commander -- When I was a corporal a million +years ago, I was handed the rank and told to sow it on!" + +That was a killer, apparently; An audible chuckle went through the +crowd. + +"But here, in the Horizon unit, we treat our people with the respect +they deserve. The are skilled professionals, devoted soldiers, and +they've worked hard to earn their rank. Corporal is said to be an +automatic rank -- stay ten months, and you have it, but that's not true. +A rank is earned, not bestowed! I've seen people remain Privates +throughout their service, some even rookies, and I hope never to come +across that again! Here are people who worked hard, and so we wanted to +do them the honors, bring Ram here to show them how much we appreciate +them -- and grant their rank from the unit commander, personally. Ram?" + +\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~