6/5/05

The Good Citizen

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Here's another one that sprang fully-formed into my head. I don't think I'm going to be able to do anything more with it as a piece of fiction but I thought it would make a good RPG seed. Let me know what you think.


Marco moved quickly but calmly through the intersection of Victory and Absolute. He picked up a latté at the corner kiosk and sipped it as he nodded to those he passed. He knew more people than he didn't in this part of town. Some of them wished him luck. Others just touched their forheads briefly. He was warmed by such an outpouring of emotion. Thus, he was smiling as he opened the doors to Magnum, Inc.

After a brief wait, which Marco took as a good sign, he was called into the office of Altus Magnum himself. The spartan furnishings and modest size of the room were diametrically opposed to the image of the office Marco figured the Great Man should have. Altus moved forward in a kind of gliding motion and extended a hand towards Marco who shook it firmly.

"Sit down," said Altus heading for a seat in front of the desk.

Marco sat in the not-too-hard-not-too-comfortable chair and took a deep, cleansing breath to calm himself.

Altus smiled as he took his own seat, "Academy training."

Marco nodded, "Yes, sir. That's why I'm here."

Altus' smile continued, "Indeed." He relaxed his broad shoulders and ran a hand casually through his thick, black hair. "Your instructors speak very highly of your skills and of your potential."

Marco cleared his throat. 'Potential' was instructor-speak for 'lousy grades but excellent ratings'. Marco opened his mouth to explain some of the specifics of his first couple of semesters but Altus raised a hand to cut him off.

"No one cares about your academic performance, son. We're more interested in your extracurricular activities."

Marco's brows raised but he remained silent.

"How much do you know about the Scouts?" Altus asked.

"Next to nothing," Marco answered.

Altus nodded, "Good. First off, the Scouts are exempt from the Laws." Altus paused while that sank in then continued, "They are also rewarded for their service by a complete expunging of all former offenses against the Public Good."

Marco, despite his training, leaned forward, eyes wide.

"The City is planning a breakthrough and the Council has narrowed the coordinates down to four candidates. You will slip through to each of these and file a report from which will come our final decision."

"But, no one can slip that often," Marco said. "They'd die."

"The Scouts are exempt from a lot of things, son," Magnum replied. "Do you think you're up for this?"



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6/3/05

Jasper's Beast

This could be the beginning of a Horror RPG campaign or the start of a short story. Or both.

Jasper drove his truck like there was no tomorrow because, for him, there might not be. The great beast had been chasing him for miles down Old Mill Road. Jasper checked his rearview mirror and saw that the enormous dust cloud was still behind him. He floored his old Chevy around a hairpin turn and his head hit the roof of the cab as the vehicle lurched up onto the asphalt of Highway 42. He roared past one of the shiny, new Sheriff's cruisers. Might be Kelly or Tim, the new deputy, Jasper thought to himself. The blue lights came on and the cruiser kicked up its own cloud of dust as it spun wheels onto the highway.

"That's it," Jasper said breathlessly. "See that damn thing that's trying to kill me. Report back to Sheriff Mason."

The siren wailed behind Jasper. He risked a glance into the mirror again to see the enormous beast emerge onto the highway. The cruiser increased its speed even more but was quickly overtaken by the creature. It crushed the trunk of the car in its massive jaws and shook it like a dog with a rag. The siren wailed some more and then was abruptly silenced as the hood of the car smashed into a large tree.

Jasper surged forward, pushing his old truck to its limits but he had gained enough distance from the deputy's sacrifice to lose the animal and head into town.

He made it to the Sherrif's office and shouted for help.

"What's up, Jasper," said Jared Mason, looking concerned and wary at the same time. Jasper was known as a kook.

"I ran into a creature in the woods out past the Mikelson place," said Jasper, wild eyed. "It chased me clear out to the highway. Would'a had me, too if..." he paused then continued more quietly and reverently, "If one of your men hadn't distracted it."

The Sheriff's eyes widened and he grabbed the handset for the radio, "Deputy Carter, this is HQ. Come in. Carter, this is Mason, come on. Damn it, Kelly." He looked to the desk behind him and said, "Tim get out there and check it out."

Mason locked eyes with Jasper who looked to the young deputy and said, "42, about a half mile this side of Old Mill."

Tim nodded and nervously strode out to the street toward his cruiser.

The Sheriff's eyes hadn't left Jasper. He said, "All right, McCrae, you and I both know that you didn't run across any creature in the woods. Your family has been giving us stories like that since before my Pa was born."

Jasper opened his mouth to protest but the Sheriff cut him off, "You didn't run across it. You summoned it. Now sit down and tell me what we're up against."

Jasper's shoulders slumped in resignation and he pulled up a wooden chair.


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