Decisions
| Decisions | |
|---|---|
| Date of Cutscene: | 26 June 2019 |
| Location: | Unknown |
| Synopsis: | Summary needed |
| Cast of Characters: | Cypher |
(I like languages. I'm GOOD at languages. But they're not really a challenge for me. I'll always have the edge, with languages. I've read the Voynich Manuscript and have notebooks with translation keys for Linear A and Proto-Elamite. I've read and translated the Voynich Manuscript, the Phaistos Disk and the Rohonc Codex. Maybe I should share my translations, but I also sort of feel like that would be CHEATING humanity of the opportunity to do it themselves, without my shortcut.)
Doug slid his paperwork over the desk to the woman across the way. She's Latinx, middle-eged. "I'm looking to enter into an accelerated learning program so that I can take the LSATs and start work on a law degree. I'd prefer online classes where possible."
She shuffled the paperwork. "I see, and you've chosen to pursue degrees in... Computer Science and English? STEM and the humanities. That's an interesting dual major."
"Thank you, ma'am." Doug paused. "There won't be any need for student loan paperwork, I'll be paying for this out of pocket."
(Before I died, I had begun to sense that things were fraying a little bit at the edges. My own personal troubles and the growing agitation among my friends and the stresses being put on the X-Men led me to take the PRECAUTION of cashing in some Bitcoin I'd won in a hacking challenge. I stored the money along with some other valuables in a safe deposit box and hid the key in a secret spot in Breakstone Lake. Some hard-to-find Magic: the Gathering cards, some rare baseball cards, some other stuff. The money will be HELPFUL now.)
"Huh. Interesting. GED student? You don't seem like the type. Especially since you're a student at the Xavier Institute, the elite of the elite. Your school transcripts are sterling."
"I was badly injured in an accident and recovery took a long time, ma'am. It took me some time to play catchup and decide what I wanted to do with my life."
(I give her a smile, it produces the desired effect.)
"Well, it looks like you're back on track now. Given your strong showing in STEM, why did you decide you want to be a lawyer, Doug?"
"Well ma'am, to paraphrase Lin-Manuel Miranda, computers are easy. People are harder. The truth IS..." (I look her in the eye...
...And choose to say it out loud, for the first time in my life.) "I'm a Mutant. As you can see, I'm one of the lucky ones. No one would ever know, if I didn't tell them. But I'm telling you now, because I know you understand. The fight for freedom, the fight for equality, the fight against genocide isn't just fought in the streets with bricks and bats. It's also fought in the city councils, the courtrooms, in Congress, and a signature can kill more people than any gun."
The woman considered this, and then nodded. "Let's get your paperwork pushed through, Doug. And good luck."
(Though I may never play in the big leagues, might never get that upnod, I am an X-Man. I am for the oppressed, and I am against the oppressor. It doesn't matter if you're a Mutant like me, African-American, Latinx, Jewish, gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, or queer, or just someone innocent who has the misfortune of earning the unjust wrath of the powerful. That's the purpose to which I've chosen to dedicate my life.)
Doug shuffled his paperwork, and stood up. "...Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate your help, and have a nice day."
(I have had a lifetime's worth of adventures, DIED and risen again, all before the age of twenty. I have met gods, and the most incredible people I have ever met are like family to me. Sometimes it's EASY for me to feel small and mundane in the face of the LIFE I've lived. But maybe what I needed was a healthy dose of AMBITION.)
(Audere est facere.)