Here is February's installment of The Adjusters, “Los Angeles, Part 3", wherein Daniel and Cindy continue their investigation of the Special running loose in Los Angeles.
As usual, comments welcome.
I'll also remind you that we have a Speculation Thread available for general discussion. (A thread which I read but do not comment on.)
The Adjusters #64 - Los Angeles, Part 3
Daniel Malcolm was numb. Had been for several months now. And part of him had known it. But the full extent of it did not strike him until now.
For all the craziness that Cindy Caprese—now Cindy Barnes—exhibited, she could be perceptive, and that night was an example of exactly that. Daniel Malcolm had worried that she might insist on heading back to her place to fuck—something he was surprised she had not clamored for yet, her insatiable libido usually out and about at the first sign of him—but she surprised him by asking him out to a casual dinner and then heading out to a movie.
That was exactly the kind of evening Daniel needed. It felt almost normal. He had not had normal in a long time. And meeting the women affected by the Special—because the latest victim made it clear that a Special was indeed involved—had been the final straw: Christina’s tragic behavior, Rebecca’s hospitalization, and of course, Samantha Royston’s complete transformation into a nymphomaniac with apparently no inhibitions.
Continue reading...
Next month: Los Angeles, Part 4.
A great chapter as always. I especially enjoyed Cindy's behaviour throughout the investigation, and was a bit disappointed we didn't get to see more of her.
ReplyDeleteThe flashback with Doug Fairbank felt a bit too long. It sort of seemed like it was here because you felt the need to make sure each installment had some graphic sex to it. But actually I thought the small teases with Cindy in the earlier portion to be much hotter than the second half.
Thanks for the feedback!
ReplyDeleteYou're probably right about the Doug scene. I'll have a clearer picture of the overall pacing a few months hence, when I look back at this. (I'm still way too close to it now.) The intent was much more to show the loss of control than anything else.
i think the part with doug was useful to see why he went off the deep end
ReplyDeleteKinda liked the Rebecca part where she is brainwashed back in the earlier chapters.. These touch and gain instant control is nice, but it gets boring after a while.
ReplyDeleteThe waitress turned into an instant polar opposite whore is nice... That's how buttons are pressed
From danny123
ReplyDeleteSome recommended corrections:
My page 2 – “That one of his biggest fears, that whatever Biff had done to head had…”
Correction – “whatever Biff had done to her mind…..”
My page 21 –“so I may have opened up my dress and let him stare at my tits all her wanted…
Correction – “stare at my tits all he wanted…”
“and I may just have make him come in his pants”
Correction – “just have made him…”
From danny123 – comments -
ReplyDeleteI see this chapter as continuing the tie in between Daniel and Patrick Dee. By this I mean that Daniel is now pursuing the same case as Shawbank. Shawbank recognized that Rebecca McGregor had been programed by someone with ADCorp technology that is why she sent Daniel off on his own. Daniel now is circling back via the hunt for the special. This appears to be the entry way for him to discover what Patrick Dee is doing. We now know what happens to a woman who has been programed and then runs into a special, she goes into overload and shuts down, similar to Jenn’s episode. It seems to be just a matter of time before Daniel discovers this too. So by pursuing this special Daniel should discover that Rebecca was normal, and then changed before Doug Fairbanks became a special. To me, once Daniel pursues this line, he should eventually discover Dee which should eventually lead to Jenn. Of course, I could be way off base, but most of the fun is the journey not the destination.
Wonder if authentication number thing during public activation can be substituted by any random number, because i don't see how programmed girls can get centralized updates on every new customer that happens to become enlisted on the clients database...
ReplyDeleteCouple of responses:
ReplyDelete"Kinda liked the Rebecca part where she is brainwashed back in the earlier chapters.. These touch and gain instant control is nice, but it gets boring after a while."
Agreed. One of the reason why the storyline's not really about the Specials.
Thanks Judd, and thanks danny123. As usual, your analysis suggests that I'm getting much of what I'm trying to convey right.
"Wonder if authentication number thing during public activation can be substituted by any random number, because i don't see how programmed girls can get centralized updates on every new customer that happens to become enlisted on the clients database..."
DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THIS! :)
I spent way too long thinking of ways for this to work up to and including one-way trap door functuons, only to throw up my hands in disgust and convince myself I was overthinking it. The girls "call home" at regular intervals to get updates. Yes, if a guy whose access has been revoked keeps a girl from calling home then she doesn't get updated authentication numbers he gets to enjoy her some more, but then he'll get Enforcement and Investigation on his ass and it won't be pretty.
Possibly better to think that girls know some basic validation rule for authentication number, so that not every number accepted, but only ones that match a basic pattern. They are not computers to remember them all, and interaction validity checked post factum by billing unit, not by girl. Otherwise overhead for updates becomes too much. :)
Delete