Sunday, September 2, 2012

New Story: The Adjusters #32

Here is September's installment of The Adjusters, “A Wedding and an Orientation”, wherein we encounter an odd character, and follow Daniel Malcolm as he joins ADCorp.

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.)


BOOK III — DO YOU TAKE THIS WOMAN?

The Adjusters #32 - A Wedding and an Orientation

(Beckley, West Virginia. Twelve months ago.)

He walks in the back of the church when he knows no one is
looking. Not that anyone would notice him, really--he was always good
at fading into crowds, and there is nothing that distinguishes him
from the rest of the guests. He has donned his best suit for the
occasion, which helps greatly. He is nevertheless nervous.

He makes his way to the rectory, to the side of the chapel. He tries
his best to avoid people on the way, which turns out to be easy
because everyone is busy welcoming one another and introducing
themselves to those they do not know. There is joy in the air, the joy
of two families coming together, and that joy bolsters him, lightens
his bones, provides succor.

He hides behind a convenient column when he sees the door of the
rectory open. What has to be the Maid of Honor comes out, looking
excited and fetching in her long apple red gown. She giggles a "I love
you" back into the room she is departing before closing the door
behind her and hurrying down the hallway as fast as the heels she
clearly is not used to wearing allow her. He feels the pull to follow
her. But he resists. He has a mission.


Continue reading...


Next month: “A Wedding and an Assignment”.

7 comments:

  1. Ended up editing late into the night. Which means that it's probably not as polished as it should be in places...

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  2. Very interesting beginning, Shawbanks is really intriguing person. Wounder what made her that way, some personal mind control episode maybe? Please tell me we will have some glance at that! :)

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    1. Thanks Domein. And we will definitely learn a lot more about Shawbank...

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  3. Shawbank is just a hardass. You see that type in the services, male & female, not that rare. Interesting to see if her personal story thread is further developed. Given the premise(s) of the story line, she could have had all sorts of interesting experiences along the way.

    This first chapter was just setting the story up for the future with a quick recap and introducing a new protaganist. Interesting to see where that goes, the layers within the company and Daniel's experience and "quest" to recover Jen.

    Shame Serena died, would have liked her to survive. Very hot lady!

    The company's obvious charter is to eliminate & keep secret all traces of mind control from society (for obvious reasons), hence the analysis operative role for Daniel - to find, neutralise and seemingly kill mind controllers.

    Chalker's well world & soul rider series highlight the extreme dangers in such technology getting loose in society.

    ---

    Only very minor typos, grammar & spelling issues. Always hard to see them yourself! I could be a proof reader if you want one.

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    Replies
    1. Re: Shawbank's interesting experience: oh yes, that she has. We'll learn more about her and about ADCorp in the future.

      Yes, the first chapter had a lot of recap. I was worried about that, but part of me would like the different books to be... well, not independent from each other, clearly, but something that one could pick up and read and while maybe not getting the full effect of everything, still getting a self-contained story they might find interesting. At least, I managed to keep the big recap at only five or six paragraphs...

      Not familiar with Chalker's work, but now I think I'm going to have to hunt some of it down.

      If you have a second, and are willing to email me the typos you find, I'll update the version when I have the chance.

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  4. Hope our new "touch control" villain will get to make a "handshake" with miss shawbanks :D

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