100 Words a Day 520

“The conquest of the nation-state known at the United States of America, or simply America, was made possible by a variety of factors. “ Zorkan said, projecting his thoughts into the minds of his students. “One of the peculiarities of the citizens of the nation was their penchant to believe that being the first at something was a sign of the presence of worthwhile innovation. This led to a string of Firsts that eventually weakened their society, economy, military, all the structures that held them together as a people. Eventually this resulted in another first: the first to be conquered.”

100 Words a Day 519

The city was still, the only movement the falling flakes. She watched the snow descend from the window of her small apartment. A cold breeze found its way through the cracks in the poorly-insulated frame, breaking the spell the snowflakes had cast over her. She retreated from the winter cold, finding refuge among the heavy blankets on her bed. The cup of hot chocolate she had prepared was still warm, the marshmallows slightly melted. She grabbed a book of the nightstand and burrowed into the thick covers. She took one last look out the window before snuggling in even deeper.

100 Words a Day 518

The cold wind cut through his coat and chilled him to the core. It was his first winter in Chicago and not even the dire predictions of the other San Franciscans had prepared him for what he was experiencing. The coat he'd brought was pretty, but did little to protect him from the wind. All around him people trudged, leaning into the gusts, only their eyes visible. His hands and feet ached. Bitter cold were the words he used to conceptualize it, but the truth was these did not encompass the feelings of pain and total misery he was experiencing.

100 Words a Day 517

“America’s descent into a police state was fairly typical: tyranny in tolerable bits and so forth. What made it unique however, was the culture’s obsession with eliminating Chance from their everyday life and a desire for individual freedom without individual responsibility.”

The professor paused, sipping from a glass of water.

“This caused the development of a litigious society that used social and restitutional pressures to moderate behavior; hit someone with your car and they’d sue. This eventually went further, resulting in the prohibition of any risky behavior that had the chance of resulting in litigation; no climbing on the statue.”

100 Words a Day 516

As he worked the lockpick, he tried to pinpoint the moment where things had changed. He had always been one to keep his eye on the prize, focus on the objective, not the process etc. He had originally wanted recognition for his accomplishments. Recognition was stolen by his treacherous lab partner. He did not give up all of a sudden. His goal slowly shifted as he exhausted each reasonable course of action. He balked initially, at the extreme methods he cooked up in the night to get his rightful recognition. Then he became angry. After that, it became about revenge.

100 Words a Day 515

It just did not make sense. There was no sign of forced entry, nothing on the security cameras, and a body cut to shreds. There was no way he could have done that to himself.

Basil took a sip of his coffee, black and bitter, and pondered the photos spread out on the floor of his apartment.

Among the items that did not fit, one thing stood out the most, the bizarre writing. Underneath the body he’d found a yellowed piece of paper covered in a strange, spidery script. Even looking at the photo of the page hurt his eyes.

100 Words a Day 514

“Greed is the key,” Donald said, turning and looking out the window. His grey hair gleamed in the sunlight. “Greed is what gives people the drive to succeed. Want for more, that’s what gets things moving.” He clasped his hands behind his back and looked out the window.

The young man on the other side of the desk was new to the firm. He had arrived with wide-eyed enthusiasm and an eagerness to work available only to the young.

“David,” Donald said, turning to address the young man, “you may not understand now, but you’ll come to see it’s true.”