《Re: Conspiracy Theorist》 Prologue 2051 ¡°We have visual on the Insurgent camp Overwatch discovered, Sir.¡± Controller 138 stated. ¡°Very well,¡± the Commander of Green Zone 115 looked into the screen to see what the Ground Units were seeing. Unlike the common new construction and carefully manicured plant life of the Green Zone, the Atlas Ground Combat Drones moved through wild tangles of wild grape vines and thick bushes. A filthy clearing opened in front of the AGCDs. A wooden fence with fuzzy green coating ran around a ramshackle yard with various plants climbing thin wooden structures. In the distance, there were ground birds scratching and making a racket in an area covered in their own feces. ¡°How vulgar,¡± the Commander sneered. ¡°Obviously this is an insurgent camp. See how they maintain those filthy birds? Those were responsible for the second and third Pandemics.¡± Controller 138 brought up a different AGCD view to show the other side of the camp where large brown beasts were laying in a deep pit of fouled filth. ¡°Sir! Those are swine, aren¡¯t they? Weren¡¯t they the beasts that brought about the fourth Plague? There are horned beasts that are further back, but I don¡¯t recognize them¡­ they look like cows almost, but they aren¡¯t black and white, and they have shaggy hair.¡± ¡°Yes, those are cows,¡± the Commander stated drily. ¡°They are a different breed from the type that have been given proper therapy to reduce their carbon emissions. I believe that we have found more than an insurgent camp. This is probably one of the extremists from before the unification. I would assume that they are raising diseased beasts solely to keep the Plagues continuing. This is now highest priority. They probably have hounds also, the biological kind, so when we move, we will need to move quickly so as to reduce the damage to our AGCDs. Most insurgents still have weapons, and we will not be sent replacements this month.¡± ¡°Acknowledged, Sir¡± Controller 138 responded. ¡°Sir, should I prepare any Wildcat units? Our training says that-¡° ¡°Unnecessary, wasting resources will negatively impact our Credit Score. Use the allocated units to exterminate those filthy pests before they spread either disease or misinformation among our Human Resources.¡± A few hours were spent by the Drones observing the Extremists. More buildings were observed, catalogued, and planned for. A few insurgents were seen moving among the beasts and collecting things from different plants. Around dusk the AGCDs began to move in. Railguns fired with near silent snaps as they were directed to purge the beasts in the clearing. Controller 138 directed his drones carefully closer to the habitation unit, which was made from layers of dark brown bricks. Their only thought was how ugly the old construction looked when compared to the smooth concrete and metals found in the walled Green Zone. As the AGCDs closed in, Controller 138 heard the sharp, staccato barking of bio-hounds. As they turned the drones the view came upon a large tan and black beast lunging out from under a raised deck and slamming into one of AGCDs they didn¡¯t currently have direct control over. Surprisingly, the beast was able to rip out a large cluster of the Drone¡¯s wiring, rendering it inoperable before the rest of the Unit riddled the beast full of flechettes. Controller 138 cursed as the door to the hovel burst open and a large-bodied Insurgent with a bushy beard launched themself out onto the deck with a primitive ¡°shot-gun¡± in it¡¯s disgustingly hairy hands. Surprisingly, it was able to fire the device three times before the AGCDs were able to take the Insurgent down. Another AGCD was shredded by the weapon¡¯s first two blasts and the third peeled some of the polymer plating off another.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°The Commander is going to be so pissed¡­¡± Controller 138 grumbled to themselves. ¡°Two drones and only one insurgent down.¡± They directed their remaining six Drones in to the brick hab unit, spraying anything that moved. There appeared to be at least ten insurgents hiding in this one unit, all of which were armed and firing at the AGCDs once they cleared the doorway. Surprisingly, even the small Insurgent children were firing on the Unit with smaller caliber rifles. Screams and bangs were near constantly coming through their speakers. This group of insurgents were far better armed than most groups they had dealt with previously. Two more of their AGCDs were destroyed in exchange for taking out four of the Insurgents. Two of the small ones and one each of the adults. Blood sprayed across the gathered group. A grey bearded Insurgent roared and it¡¯s black weapon increased it¡¯s rate of fire and began cutting into the AGCDs line as the elderly Insurgent played the rapid fire horizontally across them. Controller 138 ordered their Drones to play fire from both sides across the room towards the exposed old man- Insurgent. They are Insurgents. The metal spray tore through furniture periodically sending up gouts of gore even as more Drones fell under the blasts from the few remaining Insurgents. Controller 138 saw the strained face as the flechettes finally punched into the decrepit Insurgents belly. As the muscles tore open and it¡¯s entrails slithered out, the Insurgent dropped it¡¯s steaming weapon and staggered towards the last operable AGCD. It fell forward onto the damaged drone. ¡°You Fuckers. That was my family. Who ever is controlling this. Hear me. I will hunt your masters. No power protects them. In the name of Almighty God, I will see them to Hell.¡± Then the last living insurgent drew a blade from it¡¯s belt and drove it straight into the AGCDs power cell. Blue Arcs of electricity travelled up it¡¯s arm and smoke began pouring from its mouth and nose. Controller 138¡¯s screen was filled with the grimacing face of the burning Insurgent. It¡¯s eyes locked on to theirs as though there was no screen separating them. 138 gagged and vomited as the old man¡¯s eyes boiled away in front of them. The screen shrank and went black as the last dregs of power drained from the AGCD. ¡°FUCK!¡± David shouted, sitting up abruptly in the dark, gripping his left wrist as the burning sensation began to fade. The door burst open and a tiny, familiar woman snapped on the bedroom light. ¡°Davey, what has gotten into you? It¡¯s 2 in the morning.¡± His mother demanded; eyes narrowed. His mother who had been dead for nearly a decade. David succumbed back to darkness. Chapter 1 April 17, 2000 Chapter 1 Consciousness slowly returned to David. Oddly. It had been years since he had woken slowly. It had been burned out of him during his service as an Infantryman during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Afghan War. Sleep had remained elusive even into his 50s. He became alert inside. Something was wrong. The ever-present smell of his farm, that mix of animals, sweat, and dirt was absent. He couldn¡¯t hear the movement of his daughter and her husband, or his grandchildren moving about handling their early morning chores was missing. There was no scent of woodsmoke, but he also was not cold. Fear gripped his chest. He remembered the fucking androids. He saw flashes of every person he cared for mowed down in front of him by cold, ruthless machines. Tears began to dribble from his closed eyes. They died. They died and he survived. Again. David heard movement. There was someone else nearby. Multiple someones. Had he been captured? Trying not to move too quickly, David lifted his legs slightly testing for bindings. Nothing. He checked his wrists. Also nothing. He tensed his core and the expected pain from being shot last night was missing entirely. His eyes flew open. He was in a room. A familiar room. A disturbingly familiar room with a pile of cardboard boxes piled against one wall. There was a light tan wooden dresser next to the matching twin bed he was on. Weak, early morning light was filtering in through the wide window above his head. ¡°There¡¯s no fucking way¡­¡± David mumbled. He heard a door open outside his closed room. Heavy footsteps receded down what he knew was the hallway. David was fairly sure who that was, provided that the impossible situation was real. David swung his feet on to the floor and stood, nearly toppling over as his legs did not shoot pain this time. He looked down to see soft, smooth skin with only a fuzz of hair on his chest, stomach, and legs. His legs were thick, but devoid of the scars marring their shape. He reached to twist his beard, but his hand touched nothing but a sandy stubble. A quiet grunt and a thud sounded from the front hall. David moved toward the door of his old room. The cool handle filled his hand, smooth metal giving off the tangy smell of brass as his hand warmed it slightly. Carefully, quietly David pulled the door inward. ¡°Dad?¡± he softly called. ¡°Huh? Dave? You actually got up without help today?¡± his Dad chuckled. David¡¯s mind went blank. He had watched his Old Man die. He died in one of the riots back in 2025. Brick to his head. Shit. He was dead, too, wasn¡¯t he. He didn¡¯t make it and his heaven was his childhood home. The last place where he wasn¡¯t trying to survive. The last place where he wasn¡¯t responsible for someone else¡¯s life. ¡°Dave?¡± his Dad walked back up the hall, ¡°You nervous? I know the school is new, but you¡¯ll be ok.¡± He reached out and squeezed David¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Your mom said you woke up yelling last night. Nightmare?¡± David looked up into his much younger father¡¯s face. The greying hadn¡¯t even started. His dad¡¯s shaggy black hair fell across his forehead. His dad wasn¡¯t hunched with age. David reached up and pulled his dad in to a hug. This felt too real. ¡°Yeah dad, one hell of a nightmare.¡± A very, very long nightmare. ¡°Well kid, at least you¡¯re a teenager now. So suck it up. Men don¡¯t have time to cry.¡± His dad chuckled while ruffling his hair. David¡¯s head was spinning. He vaguely remembered transferring to a new school at the end of eighth grade, shortly after his 13th birthday due to some problems between himself and classmates from his old school. Something about a fight or argument and the new Zero Tolerance policies in the aftermath of the Columbine Shooting. If this was real, and he wasn¡¯t dead, then he seemed to somehow be 13 again. His life he remembered, hadn¡¯t happened yet. In a startling flash, David realized that he could change how everything went. He could get out a head of the Global Unification. He could be ready this time. And he knew who the enemies are. Cold fire began to burn in his guts. There are people who needed saving. He was at the beginning, and he made an oath before he died. Those evil Fucks would pay, even though they had not been exposed for what they are yet. ¡°Dave? I have to get to work, but are you ok? Really?¡± David¡¯s dad appeared genuinely perturbed by David¡¯s behavior. ¡°Yeah dad, I¡¯m good. Sorry.¡± David peeled back away from the embrace. ¡°I¡¯m going to get ready. It¡¯s a whole new life, now.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Alright. Just don¡¯t let that temper get the better of you this time.¡± David¡¯s dad gave him one last pat, pulled on his Carhart and headed out to his truck. David stood in the front hall. Just staring ahead out the old-fashioned window by the front door. This can¡¯t be real. David spun back to his room and grabbed a hoodie and sweats. He was yanking on his shoes and out the door before he had time to dwell on what he was doing. He started to run. That steady shuffle run that let him go for miles, back before he had messed up his legs. Nothing hurt. And so he pushed. His stride lengthened out and he didn¡¯t hurt. There was no feeling of crunching in his knee, his hip didn¡¯t feel like it was going to slide out of place every other step and his back wasn¡¯t a mass of ever tightening knots. He could breathe and the persistent phlegmy tar taste from years of smoking was no where in sight. How did this happen? I mean thank God it did, but how? This is crazy! David slowed back to the Airborne Shuffle as he turned his thoughts over. It doesn¡¯t matter how, does it? I have a chance to live differently. I need a plan. Something actionable. I know that if nothing is done, everything I fought bleed and worked for my last life ends with a pile of meat in a partially hidden farm that just kept me and mine surviving. Hiding from traitors and turncoats who demolished the Republic that my friends died for. Ok, step one is get through the day to day. I¡¯m just an ill-tempered punk right now. To soft for my own good. Hell, I didn¡¯t even know who the Bilderburgers were last time around. Or what was happening on Little Saint James. But I do now. And that means I can¡¯t sit idle. David slowed to a stop across from the big catholic church in town. ¡°Who the hell is even going to believe any of this shit¡­¡± David grumbled. ¡°I got to get this crapfest squared away. I need a notebook¡­¡± David turned back to his old home at a relaxed jog. He had calmed down a bit. The overwhelmed feeling, a mix of fear, disbelief, hope, and deeply quiet sadness. The family he hadn¡¯t seen in years were around him, and the family he built, he had just seen decimated to him not even hours prior. The pain nearly broke him as it crashed over him. With a gasp and a groan David grabbed hold of those memories and smashed them down. They don¡¯t exist now. Their souls will exist again. Hopefully I can pick a better mother for my daughter this time around. And I will not bring her to a world that crumbles away from her before she can finish growing up. This isn¡¯t helpful. I¡¯m 13. I need to focus on what is within my control as a 13 year old. David slowed to a walk as he turned on to his old, new street. As he came up the driveway, his mom was at the front door. ¡°Where have you been young man? I can¡¯t believe y- Whoa! Put me down! Put me down this instant!¡± his mom¡¯s tiny form struggled as he grinned at her dangling in his arms. The tiny Italian lady was drumming her fists on his shoulders ineffectually. ¡°Sorry Ma, I needed to be alone for a bit. Just had to blow off some steam and Dad told me I needed to keep my temper in check, especially with the new school and everything.¡± David grinned as he continued to hug his mom. With a suspicious glower, David¡¯s mom slowly stopped struggling and he slowly set her on her feet again. ¡°I told you to stop picking people up. You¡¯re going to hurt people doing that.¡± ¡°Aw Ma, I just wanted to give you a big hug, but I¡¯ll never hug you again if that¡¯s what you want¡­¡± David¡¯s sarcastic response earned him an immediate swat. ¡°Go get ready for school, you stink.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡± David headed back to his room to find clean clothes. It really was weird being back here. The old digital alarm clock on the dresser read 6:27 on its glowing red face. His old Casio watch laid next to it, its plastic band still attached. He knew that made it into high school before it got caught on something and ripped off. He couldn¡¯t recall exactly when or what he was doing when it broke, but he recalled a fabric replacement band that he used during the last year of school and at Basic. Jeans, belt, and a green t-shirt were found in a messy pile because he had just dumped out one of the moving boxes while looking for sweats. Apparently, he hadn¡¯t reached the level of maturity yesterday to just put his clothes away properly. That was going to change, for sure. He knew already that he functioned and planned better in clean, clutter free places. But he also remembered that he didn¡¯t go out of his way to keep his spaces clutter free until his time serving. Something about getting screamed at and only having moments to find what you need makes you learn that clear spaces are good quickly. Resignedly, David grabbed up his gear and headed to the shower. If he had to guess, his little brother would sleep in until their mother dragged him out of bed. Tom was like that all the way into their 20s. David was on autopilot right up until he realized that he was under actual hot water. He sighed in relief, he hadn¡¯t had a hot shower in years. Not since the ¡°Unification¡±. His peace broke at the sound of someone pounding on the door. ¡°Daaaave! It¡¯s my turn! Mom said we¡¯re going to be late.¡± ¡°Yeah, Tommy, just a sec.¡± David toweled off quickly and got dressed. He grabbed his toothbrush as he let his brother past him. ¡°Little Shit,¡± David heckled Tom without any malice. The next thing he knew he was seeing stars and the bathroom door slammed shut. Once the door was closed, he heard his brother cackling as he yelled ¡°Taper!¡± David groaned, doubled over in pain. I forgot about this. Fuck. This is going to keep happening until I hit Sargent. Fuuuuck. No one had given him a taper, on purpose in years, but at 13, he was going to have to keep his guard up. He wandered into the kitchen once the pain subsided. Mom was making toast and peanut butter sandwiches and wrapped them in paper towels. ¡°Here, eat. Where did you put your book bag, David? Are you ready to go?¡± ¡°Yes Ma, I¡¯m ready, but I don¡¯t know what I did with my bag¡­¡± David¡¯s Mom rolled her eyes. Looking around the kitchen David saw when she spotted it sitting not even 4 feet away from him. ¡°It¡¯s right there. Davey, you¡¯re acting strange. First you were up and about so early, then you had a strange look in your eye, like you were excited to see me when you came up the driveway. Now you are standing next to your bag and it did not look like you were joking when you said you didn¡¯t know where it was. What is going on with you?¡± David looked away from his mom. He couldn¡¯t meet her eyes and lie. Never could, really. ¡°I¡¯m fine Ma. Just a lot on my mind.¡± He then looked straight at her. David¡¯s mom sucked in a breath. Her stern little face morphed into a strange scared sad expression, like she saw something in that look that broke her heart. She reached up and pulled David to her. ¡°I know things are not the easiest, but you¡¯ll be ok sweetheart. It¡¯s a new school, and as long as you keep your temper, everything will be ok.¡± Reaching up, she ran her fingers through his hair. Then her lips pressed into a line again. ¡°And you didn¡¯t shave.¡± David rolled his eyes, ¡°I dunno Ma, I think I¡¯d look fine with at least a little beard.¡± ¡°Not yet. You¡¯re still my little boy. Maybe once you¡¯re in high school.¡± And with that she returned to wrapping up breakfast to go. A minute later, Tom was out of the bathroom and had joined them in the kitchen. David noticed his had hovering in a blocking position to his belt. Shortly, their mom had chivied them both out to her car. 5 minutes later they had pulled up to David and Tom¡¯s new school. David got out of the car, a wave of nostalgia washed over him. Ok, second try at the new life, new school. ¡°Let¡¯s see how this goes.¡± David grumbled under his breath. The First Day of School Chapter 2 David looked up at the old building. It was going to be torn down and replaced over the summer and the new middle school was separated from the entrance by a chain link fence with decorated with images of the new Stoney Creek Middle School. David was not going to attend there but he remembered that his brother would, as would their much younger cousins, once they moved back to the United States. That branch of the family had been in England for his uncle¡¯s work. He didn¡¯t recall the specifics, but it had something to do with computer networking. Strange thing to remember out of nowhere. Ok, game time. School work isn¡¯t going to be a problem, but the social stuff is going to weird as hell. What the hell was cool back in middle school? Pokemon? Xbox? This school was full of yuppies, so hunting and fishing are probably not the right topics¡­ ah screw it. I like hunting, camping, and fishing. If they think I¡¯m weird, who cares. Jeez, why am I anxious? I¡¯m a grown man, damn it! Ah hell. Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s just the memories that make me old, and everything else is still 13 year old boy. Fantastic. Because I always did enjoy impulse control problems. This is just great. David joined the rest of the flow of students and then stopped shortly after entering the cafeteria which was the on the other side of the main doors. I have no idea where to go from here¡­ ok there is probably something in my book bag. So he headed off to one side and dropped his bag on an open table away from the stream of kids wandering past. Unzipping his bag, he found a mess of loose papers half crumpled in it as though shoved through an opening barely big enough to fit his fist. David froze, there was no way he would find anything useful in that mess. But neither could he just throw it all away. Somewhere in there had to be his school paperwork. Spinning his bag around so he could see the entrance, he sat down and began sorting through random papers. Most turned out to be worksheets, partially complete with no grade on them. It took 5 minutes to find a green half sheet of paper that had class names and room numbers tucked in between pages of what appeared to be a history hand out. It was hard to be sure because at some point the packet had gotten wet and most of the ink had run and blurred. David set the green sheet on top of his bag and continued to go through the rest of the detritus, in case there was anything else important in the pile. There wasn¡¯t. carefully, he put the class schedule in an outer pocket and to the pile of remaining paper to a trash can. Looking around David noticed that the students were all still sitting around chatting, throwing things and not heading to classes for some reason. He checked his watch, and it was already 7:26. He always remembered school starting ridiculously early, so how was it that no one was heading to class. Shouldn¡¯t they be only 4 minutes away? David shook his head, pulled out his class sheet and headed for doors that lead away from the crowd. When he got to the door, he noticed a blonde girl with a clipboard standing by the side. ¡°Um, excuse me, but what time do classes start?¡± David asked in as mild a tone as he could. The girl paused and looked at him strangely. ¡°Classes start at 7:55. Who is your homeroom teacher?¡± she asked in a rather clipped manner. ¡°Uh,¡± David looked at his cheat sheet, ¡°Lestroski, I guess? I¡¯m not sure, this is my first day here.¡± The blonde girl looked startled. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s my homeroom.¡± She said. ¡°Great! So what is the teacher like, is she ok?¡± David figured that it was probably a good idea to try and be nice to pretty girls, especially one that was in his first class and seemed to have a position of trust. ¡°Maybe you could show me around. I¡¯m David, by the way what¡¯s your name?¡± He put on his best smile. The girl had a strange look on her face, though. ¡°I am Miss Lestroski.¡± She deadpanned. ¡°Oh.¡± David felt his face burning as he awkwardly looked away. Well damn, maybe he was a bit off on judging things right now. She was his height and was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt with the school name and mascot. ¡°I, um, thought you were too young to be a teacher¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Can you maybe forget this moment, please?¡± Miss Lestroski smiled gently ¡°Sure thing David. So anyway, home room starts at 7:55, until then you should try and get to know some of your classmates. Or if you¡¯d like to get situated before everyone goes up to their lockers, you could also talk to the guidance office and get yours assigned, unless you already took care of that last week? Oh, and you can just call me Miss L, everyone does.¡± Still feeling his face burning, David decided to head up to the guidance office and get his locker sorted out. The big guy in the office seemed friendly enough and gave him a locker assignment and the combination for it. David headed there just to make sure everything worked properly then went to check out where his classrooms were. It looked like he had Miss L first thing, then for math during actual 1st period. He also ended the day in her room. His English was in the room right next to Miss L¡¯s and Social Studies and Art were on the same floor but the opposite hall. The building was laid out strangely he decided. 8th grade classes were all on the 3rd floor which was made of two parallel halls with all the classrooms on the outside walls. The space between the two halls led into a library and study hall area that was set up like an atrium. All three stories had doors that opened in from the student halls and the 3rd floor could look all the way down to the ground floor where a grey-haired librarian sat. Once David felt comfortable enough with where his landmarks were, he checked his watch and saw there was only a minute left before first bell. He headed to his homeroom and got there right as the hall was filled with the cacophonous tromping of young teens pouring into the building. He leaned against the wall waiting. Miss L entered the room and was soon followed by two dozen kids. David heaved himself off the wall, still amazed at the control he had over his own body again. He entered the room scanned it and put himself towards the back where he had a clear view of the door. ¡°All right everyone, settle down. Before announcements, we have an introduction. A new transfer student has joined us, so let¡¯s welcome them, ok?¡± Miss L¡¯s soft voice called out from the front of the room. ¡°David, if you would, please come up to the front and give a brief introduction?¡± David stood and headed to the front of the class, he tried to keep his focus and pressed down the unwelcome jitters caused by the internal rollercoaster of random feelings that were definitely more intense than they were yesterday.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. God, how did I survive this intensity last life? I would be a mess if I didn¡¯t have decades of discipline and becoming comfortable with myself. No wonder we all used to act like idiots. Makes so much more sense now. David placed himself in the middle of the front of the class and felt himself automatically fall into parade rest. ¡°Good morning, I am David Niro. I have transferred here from a much smaller school, so please bear with me as I attempt to learn all of your names. I am looking forward to learning along side all of you.¡± David then dropped his hands and moved away from the center of everyone¡¯s attention. Or so he thought. Once he was seated back at his desk, nearly every eye was fixed on him. A mix of expressions spread across the kids. Most of them had an almost confused look, a few seemed impressed maybe, and a few of the boys looked annoyed for some reason. David was pretty sure 8th graders shouldn¡¯t be this quiet. Luckily, the old tube TV in the corner of the room chose that moment to light up and the perky voice of a younger red headed girl started reading off a few announcements including what was being served in the cafeteria during lunch and that the baseball team had won their game the previous Friday. David tried to keep his face ¡°pleasantly neutral¡± through the rest of the morning classes and while he didn¡¯t go out of his way to talk to other students, he tried to keep his responses polite and tried to make sure he was keeping eye contact. Frankly, it was exhausting. By the time lunch had rolled around, David was ready for the day to be over already. It wasn¡¯t that he disliked having so many people around, in fact he greatly enjoyed it. For years, the only people outside his family he had been in contact with were travelers who traded or brought news between different hidden groups of free survivors of the Unification purges. No, what he found taxing was trying not to treat them all like excited little kids. He had wanted to pat them on the head or say ¡°that¡¯s so exciting¡± but he knew it wouldn¡¯t sound right coming from a peer when they were babbling on about who was who, and the TV show they were watching. Once he had been able to break away from the crowd at lunch, he headed to the gym instead of getting in line for lunch. He definitely needed a break from everyone. Once he had gotten out of sight of the crowd, he tossed his bag full of his morning books on to the bleacher and stretched a bit. It was incredible how free his movements were. He could nearly reach his toes and if he remembered correctly, at this point in his life he had not even started any real physical training. This was just his natural flexibility. Once he had ran through everything he remembered from daily PT warm ups, he decided to check on how many push ups he would be able to do without working up a sweat as he still had two more periods before he could head home and get cleaned up. Unfortunately, 30 was all he could do before he felt sweat starting to form, still it was a good starting point. David popped up to his feet and started an easy jog around the perimeter of the gym. He had gotten into that good rhythm where he could just think and had been mulling things over again, when he heard an angry shout. ¡°Hey Kid! What do you think you¡¯re doing? What¡¯s your name, huh?¡± A short, stocky man in maroon joggers and a baby blue polo shirt was stomping out of a small side door and into the main gym. That guy is definitely a coach. Probably the gym teacher¡­ ¡°Sorry sir, I am new here and I needed to get myself back together after a morning of new people. I didn¡¯t realize it would cause a problem to run for a bit without supervision.¡± The coach turned red and huffed. ¡°Smart ass. What¡¯s your name?¡± he demanded as he closed in on David. ¡°Niro! Sir! I apologize, I am not attempting to be smart with you coach!¡± David nearly sounded off, but kept himself barely from shouting at the coach. It was strange, but he could feel his temper starting to flare. It was suddenly hard for him to think calmly. ¡°Niro, huh. You¡¯re the new kid? Well, get out of here, no one is allowed in the gym outside of classes. Go on get!¡± the coach order with a dismissive wave of his had like he was shooing a fly. David nearly saw red, then went cold. With a sharp salute, he snapped to and spun to grab his bag. Everything felt hyper focused as he stalked away. He actually impressed himself by not slamming the door open as he returned to the hubbub of the cafeteria. Oh yeah, I¡¯m just a kid again. I can¡¯t just do what I think makes sense anymore. Damn though, I am really going to have to watch out for this. He found a table where no one was sitting and pulled out the few handouts he had already gotten. David figured he may as well get his classwork handled while he had nothing better to do. ¡°Hey. You¡¯re the new guy?¡± a girl wearing a tight white t-shirt and stretchy black pants asked. She had dark brown hair, and a bit too much make-up on covering what appeared to be a light case of acne. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m David, a pleasure to meet you ¡­?¡± he allowed his voice to trail off leaving her a chance to supply her name. ¡°Jessica. So, like what¡¯s your deal, you¡¯ve been quiet like all day, and at the first chance to really get to know anyone, you¡¯re sitting here all by yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I am just trying to deal with a new place and so many new people. Before, there were far fewer people that I had to deal with. I didn¡¯t mean to be rude, and you¡¯re welcome to join me, Jessica.¡± He calmly replied, making sure to maintain solid eye contact. Surprisingly, the girl, Jessica, I need to think with her name or I¡¯ll forget, broke eye contact and he noticed a tint of red on her cheeks. ¡°Oh, well I just wanted to know more about you, you know? Like why you transferred so late in the year. And no one knows like anything about you?¡± She mumbled at him. ¡°Ha ha,¡± David chuckled a bit, ¡°So you are here for everyone, huh? Well, I guess the easy answers are that I was at a Catholic school before, and my family wanted to put my brother and I into a better ranked school for high school. We found a good deal on the house and they closed before the end of the school year. This allowed us to start here earlier so that we didn¡¯t have such a long commute to our old school.¡± David kept it simple and from what he remembered, it was true for the most part. ¡°Uh, that makes sense, I guess.¡± Jessica seemed a bit down, but David didn¡¯t understand why exactly. ¡°So, I¡¯ll see you around, David?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was nice to meet you Jessica. Hopefully I didn¡¯t shatter my mysterious origins to badly for you and your friends.¡± And with that, David turned back to his worksheets. The rest of the day progressed with any real notable changes. He did enjoy his English class though. It was some what non traditional in that it was actually focused on reading a novel and then having discussions about what they could interpret from the story. The Sphere was the book the class was working on, which he was enjoying even though some of what it discussed reminded him of some of the news stories he remembered from just before the Unification Wars. Relatively quickly, the day had ended, and he was ready to head home. Outside the school, the students milled about on the sidewalk waiting for their parents to pick them up. David found Tom, already chatting happily away with a group of kids. David grinned his brother had always been far more socially adept than he had been. ¡°Tommy. Are you ready to head home?¡± he asked as he approached the group. ¡°Yeah, hang on, Dave.¡± Tom turned back to his conversation. ¡°So anyway, we just moved in, but my mom said there¡¯s a park by us. I haven¡¯t explored it yet, but I am going to check it out today.¡± David waited for his brother to finalize his plans to meet up with his new friends at the local park later that day as he scanned the parking lot for their mother¡¯s car. He didn¡¯t see it, so he assumed they should walk home. The walk wasn¡¯t too bad as it was only about 6 blocks, so they made it home in less than 20 minutes. One day down. Now to clear up my space David thought.