Starring:
Date: November 6, 2009
Summary:
A Rebel gets in touch with Lee to see if he can help.
"Log Title"
Cyperspace/Lee's Office
Lee has some time between classes to grade papers, prep for the next class and update his Twitter feed from his iPhone. Since it is vitally important that everyone know every detail of his opinions on everything, Lee diligently takes out the phone and boots it up. Outside, a bit of city snow is falling and the Brubaker athletic field looks like a picture postcard.
It seems someone across the Atlantic is very interested in Lee's goings-on. Micah had read the Company file on Lee before the organization had collapsed, and what the teacher does is of interest, particularly now with all of the government commotion, but he's never made contact. Read the twitter. Perused information about the school where he could (even in highly confidential files), but never made contact. It's time to rectify this. Consequently, as the phone turns on, a text message comes through:
Rebel: MR JONES. GOOD WORK PROTECTING YOUR STUDENTS.
Lee texts back, promptly, with exquisite punctuation: "Thanks for the heads-up regarding Charlotte's identity issues."
The reply comes through inhumanely fast. The texter isn't using the normal tap, tap of buttons.
Rebel: I TRY TO HELP WHERE I CAN. I'M GLAD SHE'S HERSELF AGAIN. SHE'S A GOOD PERSON.
Lee shoots back, "Agreed; she didn't deserve some godawful moron who didn't know anything useful taking over like that." Yes, Lee just texted a semicolon. And has changed the subject from his students.
And Lee has successfully directed the conversation from the students and onto Charlotte, for the moment, anyways. "CHARLOTTE LOOKS OUT FOR ME. SHE HAS FOR AWHILE NOW. AND SHE LOOKS OUT FOR OTHER PEOPLE TOO." There's a pause as Micah tilts his head. "SHE'S HERSELF AGAIN, YOU KNOW THAT, RIGHT?"
Lee replies: "Yes, we talk often. Don't tell me anything you don't want others to know. She's careful with that too." He didn't know Rebel's exact relation to Charlotte, and that's not surprising, since he keeps himself separated from the details of Charlotte's work just in case the Company goes 'what were we thinking' and sends a telepath or torturer to find out what he knows before they sling him in a cell.
"WHAT OTHERS? AS IN THE GOVERNMENT?" Micah's eyebrows are raised at the message. "ARE YOU WORKING FOR THEM? DOES CHARLOTTE KNOW?" His lips frown deeply. This isn't the way he thought the conversation would go. And if Lee works for the government all of those kids need rescuing, right?
Lee replies, "Some of the people I'm involved with have not had everyone's best interest at heart, historically. But no, I'm not with the public schools anymore. Charlotte's aware of my situation."
"SO YOU'RE NOT A GOVERNMENT GOON THEN?" Not that Micah would expect to admit to it even if it were true. "I KNOW WHAT SCHOOL YOU'RE WITH. AND NO, THEY HAVEN'T ALWAYS LOOKED OUT FOR EVERYONE. THEY'RE BASICALLY GONE NOW THOUGH, RIGHT?" He frowns.
Lee replies, "I am by no means a 'goon.' And I've heard that, but not been able to confirm it just yet. Besides, even if so, they don't feel they were proven wrong, just beaten. They'll be back." Semicolons AND putting the punctuation inside the quotes. Despite his obvious adeptness with his gizmo, Lee is obviously unclear on the concept of texting.
The punctuation does set Micah off just a bit, bit almost makes Lee that much more trustworthy. "THEY AREN'T OPERATING THE WAY THEY WERE. I CAN CONFIRM THAT," the comment is honest, but Micah realizes that such news from a mystery-texter isn't exactly reliable. "I DON'T THINK THEY'LL BE ABLE TO OPERATE FOR AWHILE. NOT UNLESS THE GOVERNMENT TURNS AROUND."
Lee shoots back casually, "It won't be long until they're working together. That's always how it goes with business and government. They have fundamentally the same goal, just different opinions about who should be in the driver's seat." No wonder Lee is keeping information close.
"BUT THE GOVERNMENT THINKS WE'RE ALL DANGEROUS. EVEN CHILDREN. AND YEAH, SOMETIMES CHILDREN'S ABILITIES AREN'T CONTROLLED, BUT MOST AREN'T DANGEROUS ON PURPOSE," Micah doesn't think himself dangerous. But this doesn't mean that the government doesn't. "HOW COULD THEY EVEN OPERATE TOGETHER WITH SUCH DISTRUST?"
Lee replies, "You can bet they'll work it out. They have with every other development in human history, this one isn't special in any way." Now there's an opinion nobody else on Earth shares.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT. PEOPLE LIKE US CAN'T TURN ON PEOPLE LIKE THEM. I WOULDN'T EVEN HELP THEM FIND THE DANGEROUS ONES." It's not fair to people like them. Micah continues to frown. This teacher is so hopeless compared to everyone else. "YOUR CYNICISM MAKES ME SAD. THERE'S HOPE. I KNOW THERE IS. WE NEED TO CLING TO IT IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH."
Lee grins, "Cynicism? Heaven forfend." Again: not clear on concept of texting. "Hope is the message of history. It's vanity to think this generation is the special one, that somehow our problems are so much heavier, so much deeper, than any that came before. 13-year olds think that, usually. Ten years later we know better and the uniquely incomparable has become merely the quaintly idiosyncratic."
Woah. This is a highly unusual texting conversation. Micah blinks a few times at the vocabulary and wrinkles his nose. "OBVIOUSLY THIS MIRRORS MANY TIMES IN HISTORY. NAZI-GERMANY EASILY COMES TO MIND. BUT THEN AREN'T THESE CIRCUMSTANCES UNIQUE IN SOME WAYS? THE PEOPLE BEING ROUNDED UP AREN'T ORDINARY."
Lee replies, simply, "Every person, problem, situation, solution, idea, and thought is unique if you look at it close enough, but uniqueness does not destroy ordinariness. I have 5 more minutes before my next class, was there something you needed from me?"
"NO. I DIDN'T NEED ANYTHING FROM YOU. JUST THOUGHT I MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP YOU. I'VE BEEN WATCHING YOUR SCHOOL FOR AWHILE. I WANT TO HELP AS BEST I CAN. I'VE BEEN WATCHING THE GOVERNMENT AND HELPING PEOPLE WITH ABILITIES." Micah sighs before taking in a deep breath.
Lee replies, "Thanks for the offer, and I appreciate the assistance. There are certain things I could use from someone who's adept with computers and as connected as you seem to be. You've proven yourself trustworthy." As if Lee were doing Micah a favor by accepting his help. "But it's got nothing to do with what the government or the private sector are concerned with right now. Is text best or do you have an e-mail dropbox I can use?"
Micah grins at the response. "YOU CAN CONTACT ME VIA TEXT OR EMAIL. MY ADDRESS IS MOC.LIAMG|LEBER.DATREBIL#MOC.LIAMG|LEBER.DATREBIL. THE ADDRESS IS UNTRACEABLE ANY EMAILS IN AREN'T GOING TO GET HACKED." Of course, if Lee is familiar with the Jamie/Micah video the address might be familiar as well.
Lee replies. "Excellent. If the government hacks into my computer and discovers my plans I expect it would cause more of a meltdown due to confusion and existential panic rather than anger or opposition. It's your identity that clearly you intend to protect. I can respect that. Thanks for the chat."
Micah replies, "I MOSTLY DON'T WANT THEM TRACKING MY LOCATION." Pause. "THANK YOU. KEEP CLINGING TO HOPE."
Lee replies on his Twitter feed, perhaps, because he updates it with: "Kings it makes gods and meaner creatures kings." The kids come in and he stands up, turning off his phone. "Okay, everyone, let's get started."