In the words of David a Gusta thousand
Before school today, Sarah and Jeffrey's last day before Christmas break, I let the kids play on tablets for a bit and when I called for them to be turned in Jeffrey leapt up with idea to ask Siri, a personal assistant marketed by Apple Inc. since the beginning of the decade. I knew the kids were stalling, but I'm reasonable enough about that. It got to the point where Jeffrey was looking for my name; I don't remember what led up to this, but he said my full name -- David Augustus Alvin -- and Siri read it back phonetically as "David a Gusta thousand". Laughs went up all around at that.
The Empress sipped her champagne and continued with a lilt in her voice. "Daniel, I have seen the future, and it's not pleasant. I'll introduce myself once: I am Elisabeth Mercedes Petra, born 22 December 2018 in Diego Garcia." She extended her bare hand to take his. "Better known to you as the Empress."
Happy Birthday, Empress. She's the main antagonist of my Progeny Cycle novel series who traveled back in time from her alternate Earth and built up the resources and personnel over decades in our world to conquer and rule it. Too bad about anyone who gets in her way, for whoever she doesn't command by the sound of her voice she can control with the power at her command. I wanted someone for the Superstars -- the main heroes of the Progeny Cycle of which three novels are done and three more are in progress -- to face whom it wouldn't be as easy as punching their lights out.
Gadgetmaster's eyes widened. "Yes, the Empress. Another megalomaniac bent on ruling the world."
She responded, "Who better? You've dealt with my Uniforce for seven years, but no one told you about me!" She rose from the bubbling water in the form God made for her and raged, "Well, here I am and I'm telling you everything! Here is your Empress, do something!"
They wouldn't want to because, dang it, wanting someone to make the decisions for you is often so appealing. Particularly when the one making the decisions claims to respect your ability is so beautiful and mysterious. At least, this is what I had in mind when I conceived the Empress decades ago. She's hardly power mad or maniacal -- why should she be, when the Empress can have anything she wants just by asking for it? Let the gaudy costumed goons in a super-powered world fight it out and let her pick up the pieces, and then she comes in to help rebuild and all she asks is to reign.
Gadgetmaster admitted, "I wouldn't be here, 'my Empress,' if you thought I could do anything to stop you."
Gadgetmaster also retracted his extensions at her admission; his instruments couldn't find the way he'd come in. She applauded and mocked him with what he sought: "Oh, you can't stop me. But you can help me do what we both want." The Empress tapped the edge of the pool with her knuckles.
"What we want?" Gadgetmaster advanced as he came where she'd indicated.
This passages in italics is an excerpt from my first novel Progeny (ISBN 1418499455) from her first introduction to one of the heroes -- Daniel Gallatin, aka Gadgetmaster who's probably the most brilliant man in the world and operates with extensions on his arms that can become any simple machines he wants in any manifestation. And working with human beings as she does, the Empress knows how to take advantage of anyone who's willing to listen ... as we'll see in the rest of this passage, her commands don't have to enslave you to make you willing to do what she wants.
Gadgetmaster's tone conveyed that he was open to persuasion. The Empress was expert at that, even with those she couldn't command. "Oh, you've seen some of it, or you will. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, and the collapse of the Soviet Union two years from now will affect you. [This scene is set in 1989.] People get freedom they've never had and they use it to destroy each other." She paused to finish her nose-tickling drink before swimming to his side.
"Daniel," she continued as she faced him and he grunted, "people who allow their passions to run free lose their freedom and lose their existence. I know because I've seen the worst of it. I came back in time to stop a catastrophe like that, and if I must conquer and rule their hearts and minds, then I must! Please see that, you brilliant man." She kissed him, and his resistance was gone. She was now and forever his Empress.
It would be a stretch to say Gadgetmaster betrays his friends; indeed, as the novel bears out he's not even aware of what he's doing over the decades; some actions benefit the Empress' ultimate goals, others don't. But my idea with Progeny was not only to create my own worlds of super heroes and villains, but also a la Marvel Comics' New Universe to make them a little more believable within our world without competing with an already-established line. Some of the characters in Progeny and other books in the series I've had germinating for decades.
Now I just have to finish them ... and the Empress.
For of course the villains ultimately lose, but it will cost the heroes and the world A LOT. Marvel Comics' four-issue series The War takes place in the late 80s, and with superhumans -- paranormals in New Universe lingo -- being drafted to fight a war instigated by the supposed detonation of a nuclear device over Pittsburgh, we find several countries wanting to use them to further agendas of their own. Though the series itself feels a bit dated, nonetheless it's good reading with a lot of surprises. Proof that someone (or Someone) is watching out for them ...
But I digress.
What can I say, characters take on lives of their own for me. Last night I got home and the family had already picked up dinner, which they ate before it got cold, I can appreciate that! There was no church choir practice last night, only a Blue Christmas service we opted not to go to. And as I was eating, Martha and Sarah were finishing wrapping the last of our Christmas presents while Jeffrey who had helped Martha earlier with shoveling our sidewalk was sitting back with the tablet he and I co-use for now. The earliest we've ever finished wrapping Christmas presents.
Now I have to sit down,
David
The Empress sipped her champagne and continued with a lilt in her voice. "Daniel, I have seen the future, and it's not pleasant. I'll introduce myself once: I am Elisabeth Mercedes Petra, born 22 December 2018 in Diego Garcia." She extended her bare hand to take his. "Better known to you as the Empress."
Happy Birthday, Empress. She's the main antagonist of my Progeny Cycle novel series who traveled back in time from her alternate Earth and built up the resources and personnel over decades in our world to conquer and rule it. Too bad about anyone who gets in her way, for whoever she doesn't command by the sound of her voice she can control with the power at her command. I wanted someone for the Superstars -- the main heroes of the Progeny Cycle of which three novels are done and three more are in progress -- to face whom it wouldn't be as easy as punching their lights out.
Gadgetmaster's eyes widened. "Yes, the Empress. Another megalomaniac bent on ruling the world."
She responded, "Who better? You've dealt with my Uniforce for seven years, but no one told you about me!" She rose from the bubbling water in the form God made for her and raged, "Well, here I am and I'm telling you everything! Here is your Empress, do something!"
They wouldn't want to because, dang it, wanting someone to make the decisions for you is often so appealing. Particularly when the one making the decisions claims to respect your ability is so beautiful and mysterious. At least, this is what I had in mind when I conceived the Empress decades ago. She's hardly power mad or maniacal -- why should she be, when the Empress can have anything she wants just by asking for it? Let the gaudy costumed goons in a super-powered world fight it out and let her pick up the pieces, and then she comes in to help rebuild and all she asks is to reign.
Gadgetmaster admitted, "I wouldn't be here, 'my Empress,' if you thought I could do anything to stop you."
Gadgetmaster also retracted his extensions at her admission; his instruments couldn't find the way he'd come in. She applauded and mocked him with what he sought: "Oh, you can't stop me. But you can help me do what we both want." The Empress tapped the edge of the pool with her knuckles.
"What we want?" Gadgetmaster advanced as he came where she'd indicated.
This passages in italics is an excerpt from my first novel Progeny (ISBN 1418499455) from her first introduction to one of the heroes -- Daniel Gallatin, aka Gadgetmaster who's probably the most brilliant man in the world and operates with extensions on his arms that can become any simple machines he wants in any manifestation. And working with human beings as she does, the Empress knows how to take advantage of anyone who's willing to listen ... as we'll see in the rest of this passage, her commands don't have to enslave you to make you willing to do what she wants.
Gadgetmaster's tone conveyed that he was open to persuasion. The Empress was expert at that, even with those she couldn't command. "Oh, you've seen some of it, or you will. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, and the collapse of the Soviet Union two years from now will affect you. [This scene is set in 1989.] People get freedom they've never had and they use it to destroy each other." She paused to finish her nose-tickling drink before swimming to his side.
"Daniel," she continued as she faced him and he grunted, "people who allow their passions to run free lose their freedom and lose their existence. I know because I've seen the worst of it. I came back in time to stop a catastrophe like that, and if I must conquer and rule their hearts and minds, then I must! Please see that, you brilliant man." She kissed him, and his resistance was gone. She was now and forever his Empress.
It would be a stretch to say Gadgetmaster betrays his friends; indeed, as the novel bears out he's not even aware of what he's doing over the decades; some actions benefit the Empress' ultimate goals, others don't. But my idea with Progeny was not only to create my own worlds of super heroes and villains, but also a la Marvel Comics' New Universe to make them a little more believable within our world without competing with an already-established line. Some of the characters in Progeny and other books in the series I've had germinating for decades.
Now I just have to finish them ... and the Empress.
For of course the villains ultimately lose, but it will cost the heroes and the world A LOT. Marvel Comics' four-issue series The War takes place in the late 80s, and with superhumans -- paranormals in New Universe lingo -- being drafted to fight a war instigated by the supposed detonation of a nuclear device over Pittsburgh, we find several countries wanting to use them to further agendas of their own. Though the series itself feels a bit dated, nonetheless it's good reading with a lot of surprises. Proof that someone (or Someone) is watching out for them ...
But I digress.
What can I say, characters take on lives of their own for me. Last night I got home and the family had already picked up dinner, which they ate before it got cold, I can appreciate that! There was no church choir practice last night, only a Blue Christmas service we opted not to go to. And as I was eating, Martha and Sarah were finishing wrapping the last of our Christmas presents while Jeffrey who had helped Martha earlier with shoveling our sidewalk was sitting back with the tablet he and I co-use for now. The earliest we've ever finished wrapping Christmas presents.
Now I have to sit down,
David
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