After the Second Fall Pt. 01.1

Director Collins, sensing an opportunity, sat forward. "Ma'am," she started, addressing the Executive Director, "this is a slight divergence from the topic at hand, but I would like to make a proposal regarding one of the Adams involved."

The Executive Director, ever stoic, nodded her assent. Lilith began outlining her plan to create a Public Relations poster subject, keeping details vague so as not to create too many opportunities for questions.

Before Lilith could finish her explanation the Executive Director raised her palm. "Why would we make a symbol out of an immature subject?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am. This subject, although he was held back in the program because of his abnormally slow growth rate, is actually nineteen years old, and thus mature." The Council Head sat back in her chair and silence settled into the room, save for the sound of breathing and the occasional cough.

"Dr. Shepard," she said, "is there any reason, physically speaking, that he couldn't fight against a pool Adam?"

Dr. Shepard considered the question for a moment. "No, ma'am. Other than being relatively small, he is well suited for the arena."

"Who is his handler?"

John stepped forward, "That would be me, ma'am."

"Is that so?" she asked rhetorically. "Mr. Rogers, do you see any reason that your charge should not by placed in the Adam pool?"

"No, ma'am. I believe he is ready. In fact, if I might make a suggestion?"

She nodded her head.

"Give Pip, my charge, a fight against a mid-tier or higher pool Adam. I believe he can duplicate the strike that he delivered in his last fight."

"Is that so?" she asked again, even more intrigued. "How long does he need to be ready?"

"Ten days will be enough."

The Executive Director sat back in her chair. "As you say, Mr. Rogers. Director Humbolt, you will make the arrangements, including selection of the opponent."

"Yes, ma'am," replied the director.

"Director Collins, if Mr. Rogers' charge survives, you can have him for your campaign. We will not have an unsuitable Adam representing the entire program."

Lilith nodded and the meeting moved on to other topics. For his part, John immediately tuned out again, silently celebrating his defeat-turned-victory. As the meeting adjourned, Director Collins caught his eye, clearly indicating that she wanted to speak with him.

A short time later they were walking slowly together down a back hallway. "Well done, John. How did you outmaneuver me?"

"I'm sorry, Lilith, that wasn't my intention. And I didn't really do anything specific, just spoke up when asked. I guess I was trying to seize the opportunity. When Director Humbolt shot down the idea, I thought that was it; I didn't expect Her Majesty to overrule him."

Lilith smiled. "Yeah, well, Council meetings can be unpredictable, especially when she gets involved. For what it's worth, if Humbolt would have proposed the idea, I would have followed along. As it was, I tried to seize my own opportunity -- I guess I inadvertently helped you after all. No hard feelings?"

"No, not this time anyway," responded John with a grin. "I know that politics can be vicious, but this actually felt like the Council was trying to find the right answer, same as me. I just hope that it's me that ends up being correct."

"Me too, John. So what are you going to do now? I assume you still haven't cracked Pip's fear response."

"Actually, I did have an idea during the Council meeting."

"Oh? Do tell."

"It was the same thing that got Her Majesty's attention: when you pointed out that Pip is mature physically."

"Hey, don't rub it in. What does that have to do with your idea?"

"Pip hasn't been in the pool."

"And?"

"That means he's been living in the quad rooms with the adolescents."

"And?" she asked again with some irritation.

"So he's never had his own room, which means he's never had a visit from the lovely ladies in blue."

Lilith stopped. "How does having a PET show up help Pip?"

John smiled at her. "You do know that back and foot rubs aren't the only kind of physical contact they provide, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So Pip's never had anyone touch him in a way that wasn't purely medical. I would imagine that he, like any regular teenager, doesn't have a clue what to expect, but is anxious about it anyway."

Lilith gawped. "You think he's going to be scared of a girl?"

"Uh huh," John grinned. "Terrified. Especially if it's a woman that is brand new and nervous as hell -- he'll pick up on that right away because he's good at reading emotions. Even better, I know the perfect girl."

John's good mood was infectious, causing Lilith to smile. "Of course you do. And when are you planning to start?"

"No time like the present. Want to come watch the show? Having a director along is only going to make him more nervous."

Lilith thought about declining, then gave in. "Sure, why not? If nothing else, it will give me a chance to meet him."

She started walking toward the PET Lounge. "And who knows -- if he's really as good looking in person as he was on camera, maybe I'll join in."

John smiled to himself and shook his head as he watched one of the most powerful women in the world saunter down the hallway. Who would have thought?

More than a bell later, for it had taken some time to find Rosie and clear her schedule, preparations were finally complete. While they had been waiting, John had arranged for Pip to be transferred to a solo room with the rest of the pool Adams, although Pip had not yet been informed. John then had Rosie go wait in the room, giving her no information other than that she was to meet a new Adam.

For her part, Rosie was a ball of jittery nerves; seeing John again was nice, but Director Collins was almost as intimidating as the Adams, despite being so petite. The woman had extremely dark eyes that seemed to pierce Rosie every time the director looked her way. Sitting alone in the room with only a bed, Rosie's imagination was running wild.

As for Pip, it was only marginally better. He had seen Director Collins before, but definitely did not expect the woman to walk into his room and start explaining her plans for him; John just stood by wearing his zero emotion face. "Ma'am, why me?"

Lilith paused her explanation. "Because you're young, handsome, and not so fucking big. I think regular people, people that look like me, will be able to relate better to you than a more... typical Adam."

"Well what about John, then? He's not bad looking, and he's only half my size."

"Thanks, smart ass," responded the handler.

"Nope, won't work," interjected Lilith before Pip could respond in kind. "We need someone in the program, so you're it."

"Do I get a choice?" asked Pip without much hope.

"Sure," responded the director, "you can choose to do it on your own, or I can choose for you to do it."

"Yes, ma'am, you can count me in."

"Excellent. Welcome aboard. John?"

"Alright, Pip, more good news."

Pip groaned and fell back on his bed. "What now?"

"Gather your crap. Now that you've hit the big time, you get your own room."

A quarter bell later they were standing outside Pip's new room. "Ready?" John asked.

"It's just a room, right?" asked Pip.

"Sorta," John replied with an evil grin.

Pip narrowed his eyes, deciding that his handler was definitely up to something. For her part, Director Collins was standing next to John, looking like a kid waiting to open a gift; this only made Pip more apprehensive. John tilted his head to the door.

Sensing a trap, maybe some sort of initiation ritual, Pip turned the handle and slowly opened the door.

At the same moment, having seen the handle turn, Rosie jumped to her feet; she was almost hyperventilating, trying to fight off panic.

When she saw the young Adam enter the room, her eyes opened wide and her hand went to her mouth of its own volition. Like the other Adams, he was huge, but maybe not quite as much; most everything else about his appearance was different. Rather than the shaved head that most of them favored, this one had dark, curly hair and a beautiful medium skin tone that was largely unmarked by scars; his eyes were so dark as to look black, even in the well-lit room. He was dressed in gray, wearing shorts with an athletic cut and a shirt without sleeves; his well-defined musculature was on full display and Rosie's fear and surprise started to turn to something else.

For Pip, the experience was equally dramatic. When their eyes met, he inadvertently dropped the box he was carrying, its contents spilling over the floor. "Oh, shit..." he mouthed, not even noticing, only having eyes for the beautiful young woman in front of the bed. Frozen to the spot, his heart beating loudly in his ears, he took her in.

She had pale skin and very dark, straight hair, which she had pulled back in a half ponytail. Her face was thin with a short, sharpish nose and high cheekbones; he couldn't see her mouth because it was hidden behind a hand with long, slender fingers. Most striking, however, were her slightly oversized, outrageously blue eyes, which were further accentuated by extremely long lashes. Set off by her blue shirt, her irises seemed to give off their own light, leaving Pip in a state of near hypnosis.

Her uniform's color, long the symbol of adolescent Adams' fantasies, finally sank into Pip's addled mind and snapped him out of his trance. How long had he been staring at the poor girl? She probably already thought he was out of his mind, or a total creep -- maybe both.

But no, something else was going on, because she hadn't stopped staring either. In fact, she wasn't even breathing. Then Pip noticed a coin, balanced on its edge, slowly rolling away from the discarded box. Except that the coin was barely moving -- how was that even possible?

Then Pip understood. He was so excited that he tried to give a celebratory whoop, but only managed to begin raising his hand when he realized that he was also moving slowly; instead, he aborted the celebration and focused on the Effect.

Through trial and error, Pip learned that he could change the speed to some extent. Controlling the passage of time felt a bit like trying to hold a fistful of sand: by squeezing tighter -- harder? -- he could slow, but not stop, the sand. Conversely, it was quite easy to let time slip through his -- fingers wasn't quite right -- his whatever-it-is-that-holds-back-time. With this realization came additional clarity, because Pip was able to isolate the feeling that he was semi-consciously using. It was like using a muscle that he didn't know he had, but only in concept. The process wasn't quite a mental thing, and certainly wasn't physical, but might have been somewhere in between. Details aside, Pip found that he could flex it at will, although his control felt relatively weak. What's more, Pip found himself tiring -- which wasn't really the right word, but was again the right concept -- as he got his feelings back under control.

"Oh," he said as time returned to normal. "So it's an emotional response. That makes sense."

John, who had entered the room when he heard the box hit, stopped and looked at Pip expectantly. "It worked?"

Pip turned to look at him. "Yeah, it did. This was your plan?"

John gave him a shrug that almost looked embarrassed.

"Good idea, John. I didn't think about losing control of my emotions being the trigger."

"I'm not sure that's what it was, Pip -- I think it was fear."

"Fear?"

John nodded toward Rosie, who had lowered her hand and was obviously very confused by the brief exchange. Pip's head snapped around and he regarded the young woman again. "Oh, uh, hey." At least he got words out, sort of.

"Hi," she said back with a little wave. "I'm Rosie."

"Hi, Rosie. I'm Adam -- I mean, I'm Pip, an Adam."

"See, Pip: fear."

"Not helping, John," he said without turning around. "Just ignore him, Miss Rosie. He's always a pain, and he's just enjoying embarrassing me."

"No problem, Pip. He gives me a hard time, too."

"Oh, yeah? How do you know John?"

Rosie looked at her feet. "I guess you could say he saved my life: got me off the street."

"You know..." Pip paused and Rosie raised her head just enough to make eye contact, "that doesn't really surprise me. I mean, none of the other handlers would have taken me on as a charge -- maybe he just likes reclamation projects," he finished with a grin, which Rosie happily returned.

"You may have something there," added Lilith, stepping into the room. "So tell me, Rosie," Lilith said with a wicked gleam in her eye, "what do you think of Pip here?"

Rosie's eyes dropped to the floor again and her cheeks reddened. "I don't know, ma'am, we just met," she said, even as her lips curled into a smile.

"Uh huh. So, Pip," she said looking to him, "what worked?"

Pip looked from Lilith to John and back again, not sure how to respond. While Pip was caught in the director's stare, John quickly contemplated the best path forward. He had told her that he would tell her the full story -- no time like the present, or something like that.

"Go ahead, Pip, she already knows most of it."

Pip was surprised. "Oh, okay. So... what about Rosie? Can she stay, too?"

John and Lilith spoke simultaneously, contradicting each other, then turned to look at one another.

"Look, Lilith, I really like Rosie, which is why I asked her to be here today, but this is a big deal. It's not... typical," John said, struggling to find the right word.

"That may be, but you can see the way they look at each other. As soon as this fight is over--"

"What fight?" interrupted Pip.

"--he is going to be mine. Rosie, Honey, it's not quite like it sounds -- I'll explain later. So don't fight me on this, John. He'll need to have a confidant for whatever this is, and she can be it. It's what the PET ladies are best at."

John grumbled and folded his arms petulantly, but didn't make further objection.

"So, Pip, what did you learn?"

"John and I have been calling it the Effect, ma'am. It's going to sound crazy, but I can sorta... slow down time?"

Lilith didn't say anything for a moment. "Alright, I'll admit it, that's not what I was expecting. How does it work?"

"No idea, but I think I figured out how to control it."

"Can you do it again right now?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Pip stood still, looking at her. After the silence became awkward, Lilith ask, "Did it work?"

"Yes, ma'am. There just wasn't much going on."

Lilith gave the young Adam her best annoyed teacher look, then looked at John, as if it was his fault. John held up his hands, trying to ward off her ire.

"Excuse me, Pip?" asked Rosie. "Can you still move when time slows down? If so, that should be easy to see."

"Good idea, Rosie. See, John, I told you she should stay. Pip?"

"Yes, I can move, but I move slowly like everything else."

"Is it worth trying anyway?"

"Sure, Rosie, let's give it a shot. What should we do?"

"I'm not sure. Jump?"

"Yeah," replied Pip, "that should be a good test. Let me clean up my stuff, then it's a good idea for you all to stand back."

As they stepped back, John had an idea. "Hey, Pip -- let's have you try a normal jump to see what that looks like, to act as a control."

Pip nodded, then took a deep breath, crouched, and jumped straight up. The athleticism on display was remarkable: Pip's head came within two fingers of the high ceiling, and yet he landed as gracefully as a cat.

When Pip looked at Rosie, for it was to her that he looked first, her eyes were wide with awe. Turning, he saw the wicked gleam had returned to Lilith's eyes as she plotted all the things she could do to showcase him to the public. John just shrugged.

Pip reset himself. "Ready?"

Crouching, he exerted his newly found ability and time slowed. Pip pushed on the ground, propelling himself upward with his full strength. It was odd to be able to pay attention to the various muscle groups as his legs straightened, and odder still as he left the ground, but these were nothing compared to the realization that he was about to hit the ceiling. Pip squeezed the Effect as hard as he could and time slowed just a little further, giving him time to slowly throw back his head and raise his arms, absorbing the impact rather than crashing into the top of the room with his forehead. As he started his descent, Pip pushed off with his right arm to start a spin so that he landed facing Rosie; none of the observers heard his feet hit the floor.

"Holy shit," breathed Lilith, still trying to process what she just saw. "That was absolutely unbelievable. How is what he did even possible?" she asked the room, not really expecting an answer.

"If I had to guess," said John, "I would say it's just basic physics. No, really," he said after seeing Lilith's incredulous look. "Force is the product of mass and acceleration. He accelerated faster so he went higher."

"That's not what I meant, John, but never mind. Pip, are you okay? Pip!"

"Huh? Sorry, ma'am, I... got distracted," he replied, turning away from Rosie again, who was staring up at the much larger man in front of her, looking like she was completely star struck.

"It's okay, Pip. Did you hurt yourself with that second jump?"

"No, ma'am. It was a little sketchy there for a moment, but I was able to correct in real time. Or in slow time. However. I didn't really expect the change to be so dramatic, but I should have -- it's just physics."

"So I've been told," Lilith responded while folding her arms. "Now what?"

"Now," interjected John, "you and I, Madame Director, give these two some privacy. Pip, I'll be back in a couple bells and we can put together a training plan. Sound good?"

"Yeah, sure, John," said Pip, already turning back to Rosie.

Chapter 6

Rosie walked into the Lounge, absentmindedly swinging her arms and humming to herself. She smiled at some of the ladies on the couches, and then spotted Maggie and Ruth discussing something animatedly across the room. Neither looked particularly pleased, and seeing as how the two women were her closest -- really only -- friends in the Complex, she decided to investigate.

Rosie approached so that they could both see her, having learned when she was little that sneaking up on someone doesn't always lead to good results. Ruth spotted Rosie first and immediately stopped talking; Maggie, seeing an opening, took a breath to argue some point, but left it unsaid when she also saw Rosie approaching.

"I get a strong feeling that you were talking about me," said Rosie, folding her arms. "Am I right?"

"Maggie, you need to work this out with Rosie; I won't be in the middle of it. I've seen this kind of thing tear down long established friendships, and yours is only getting started." With a final stern look, Ruth pivoted and walked toward the couches, squeezing Rosie's shoulder as she went by.

"Alright, Roomie, what's up? I know we haven't known each other that long, but you don't look like yourself."

Maggie put her elbows on the table, her face in her hands, and let her hair form a curly brown shield to protect her from the pending inquisition. Not knowing what else to do, Rosie moved to stand beside Maggie, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder and the other on her lower back, rubbing in slow circles. Eventually, Maggie raised her head and wiped her eyes on a cloth she pulled from a pocket.

"Thanks, Rosie. I'm a mess today."

"Want to tell me about it?"

"Definitely not." She frowned. "But Ruth is right that I need to anyway."

"Oh, okay," replied Rosie, not sure what could have shaken her friend so badly. She couldn't think of anything she had done to hurt or offend Maggie, so she stayed silent.

"Rosie, I know it's not your fault..." she started.