{"id":145,"date":"2008-10-17T19:17:00","date_gmt":"2008-10-17T19:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stallioncornell.wordpress.com\/2008\/10\/17\/chapter-four"},"modified":"2026-07-01T13:25:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T19:25:33","slug":"chapter-four","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stallioncornell.com\/blog\/chapter-four\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter Four"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okay, I’ve broken my original Chapter Three into bite-size chunks, and I’m enjoying this far more than what I feel like writing about today, which is this hideously depressing Wall Street Journal article<\/a> which essentially outlines how the US turns itself into a European-style welfare state overnight, only with the extra added bonus of the end of free speech. Someone please talk me down from the ledge… or just comment on my novel instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Again, if you need a refresher, please reread the Prologue<\/a>, \u00a0Chapter One<\/a>, \u00a0Chapter Two,<\/a>
and Chapter Three<\/a>. The comments are as much fun, or more fun, to read than the actual story, so please keep them coming – be as brutal as possible!\u00a0<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Enjoy!<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
_____________<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWant to stop and get anything?”<\/p>\n

Walthius was driving up Santa Monica Boulevard chewing on the remains of a large green apple. Jeff was riding shotgun. He asked the question to Jeff as they passed one of their favorite comic book stores at the 11th Street intersection.<\/p>\n

Jeff just stared at him blankly.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow might be a good time,\u201d Walthius said. \u201cDon\u2019t know when we\u2019re going to get back here, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff stared at him some more.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuit yourself, then.\u201d Walthius then giggled inappropriately.<\/p>\n

Suit myself. What an odd thing to say, since Jeff was still shirtless, shivering, and stunned at how well Walthius was taking all of this. He had just told him the whole story, which came rushing out in uneven and unedited bursts. Jeff would have appreciated a little more rehearsal time to make the whole thing sound plausible, but, even so, it was all on the table now. He felt exposed but much lighter, like he had unloaded a burden that he hadn\u2019t realized he was carrying.<\/p>\n

He also felt very, very silly.<\/p>\n

Jeff found Walthius\u2019 response, or lack thereof, to be tremendously disconcerting. What was wrong with him? Would a regular human being be acting this way after a revelation like this? Is this normal?<\/p>\n

The problem wasn\u2019t that Walthius was acting abnormally. It was the normalcy that was most disturbing. Walthius was just sitting, listening, taking the whole thing in. He was being completely inscrutable, something he\u2019d never been before. Prior to this moment, Walthius had been the most scrutable person Jeff had ever known.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t know if Walthius believed him, if he pitied him, or if he was paying attention at all. The story sounded even dumber to Jeff as he put it into words, and he started to think that Walthius was going to slap him back to his senses by the end of it. Walthius didn\u2019t do that, but during the long, awkward pause after the speech, Jeff kind of wished that he had.<\/p>\n

Didn\u2019t matter. Walthius didn\u2019t even blink an eye. And after a particularly awkward silence, he finally glanced over at Jeff and asked, \u201cAre you waiting for me to say something?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly if you want to,\u201d Jeff said sheepishly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I said the thing about the comic store\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff breathed out a mirthless laugh.<\/p>\n

Walthius\u2019 eyes narrowed and he looked at Jeff directly. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean, \u2018what?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got more you want to say?\u201d Walthius said, no inflection in his voice whatsoever.<\/p>\n

Jeff rolled his eyes. \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walthius turned his attention back to the road. \u201cSo that\u2019s it?\u201d<\/p>\n

It? What does he mean by it<\/span>? Jeff thought. \u201cThat\u2019s pretty much it, yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walthius took a bite out of his apple. “So,\u201d he said with his mouth full, \u201cWhere do you go from here?”<\/p>\n

Another pause.<\/p>\n

“Where do I go from here?\u201d Jeff repeated. \u201cThat’s all you want to know?’<\/p>\n

“What else is there to know?\u201d he said with just a dash of spittle, his mouth still filled with apple. \u201cIt sounds like you told me everything.” He took one more bite and then looked at Jeff with his apple hand outstretched, offering him some.<\/p>\n

Jeff shook his head.<\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t believe me, Jeff thought. Of course he doesn\u2019t believe me. And he\u2019s not laughing, either. Which means he thinks I\u2019m crazy. Or dangerous. And maybe I am.<\/p>\n

“This wasn’t the reaction I was expecting,\u201d Jeff said, trying to draw Walthius out.<\/p>\n

Walthius shrugged and bit in to the apple core. “What reaction were you expecting?\u201d Bits of apple flew onto the dashboard as he spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever mind.\u201d Jeff wiped the sprayed apple bits to the floor. Another awkward pause. Who am I trying to impress? Jeff thought. It\u2019s just Walthius. Get it all out.<\/p>\n

“I know you don\u2019t believe me, all right?\u201d Jeff blurted, raising the volume of the conversation by a few decibels.<\/p>\n

Walthius didn\u2019t bother to look at him. \u201cI don\u2019t?\u201d he asked, as if this were news to him. “And why don\u2019t I?’ He was academic and passionless, like Mr. Barry explaining a particularly vexing axiom.<\/p>\n

“You don\u2019t believe me,\u201d Jeff said, \u201cbecause I<\/span> don’t believe me.”<\/p>\n

Another pause. Another apple bite. \u201cWell, then you\u2019re the one with the problem,\u201d Walthius stated matter-of-factly. Having passed judgment, he just kept on driving. And stopping. All these red lights and they hadn\u2019t made it through a single intersection.<\/p>\n

\u201cFriday night traffic sucks,\u201d Walthius said. \u201cYou owe me for this.\u201d He threw the apple core out the window. \u201cIt\u2019s biodegradable,\u201d he said in response to the disgusted look on Jeff\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think I care about the apple?\u201d Jeff asked incredulously.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you should,\u201d Walthius said. \u201cThat was flagrant littering. Which is, as you know, against the law. If you\u2019re going to fight crime, you\u2019re not going to have the luxury of overlooking stuff like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m going to fight crime?<\/span>\u201d Jeff sputtered.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t tell me you\u2019re not<\/span> going to fight crime,\u201d Walthius said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to be disappointed in you.\u201d<\/p>\n

To Jeff, this was turning out to be a very disturbing conversation. They drove in silence until Jeff had the presence of mind to formulate a rational question.<\/p>\n

As he spoke, he did so slowly and precisely. \u201cHow can you just sit there and pretend that this is no big deal?\u201d<\/p>\n

Walthius shot him an angry glance. \u201cWhen did I say it was no big deal?\u201d Walthius asked, then returning to stare at the river of taillights in front of him. \u201cOf course it\u2019s a big deal,\u201d he said matter-of-factly. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge deal, in fact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff sighed. \u201cThank you.\u201d He turned to look out the window.<\/p>\n

Walthius snorted. \u201cNo, thank you<\/span>,\u201d he said, far too formally. The light turned green; the car lurched forward another few yards and then came to a stop again.<\/p>\n

Jeff blew out a burst of air. \u201cSo you don’t<\/span> believe me,\u201d he said, more to himself than to Walthius.<\/p>\n

Walthius snorted again. \u201cYou got from school to the Pier before the end of sixth period without the benefit of a car,\u201d he laughed. \u201cHow else would that have happened if what you were saying isn\u2019t true?\u201d<\/p>\n

He believes me. He believes me completely.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Jeff sat there, dumbstruck. Walthius pointed at him and winked, as if to say \u201cgotcha.\u201d As if Jeff were the only one in the car who needed convincing. Jeff blinked. He really does believe me. Which means he\u2019s crazy. Or dangerous. Or both. Maybe I just should have flown home.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I just should have flown home,\u201d he repeated aloud.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d certainly get there faster,\u201d Walthius said, as if they were discussing the merits of train vs. bus travel.<\/p>\n

Jeff shook his head. \u201cYou\u2019re nuts, you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff leaned in closer to him. \u201cYou know, it bothers me that you believe me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sounds so reasonable saying crazy things, Jeff thought.<\/p>\n

Walthius seemed to be able to read his mind. \u201cYou seem to be forgetting,\u201d he said \u201cthat cosmic catalysts happen all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff cocked his head. \u201cWhat the Sam Hill are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only thing worth talking about in a situation like this one,\u201d Walthius replied. \u201cCosmic catalysts. One second, you\u2019re one thing, and in the blink of an eye, you\u2019re something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff turned his attention back to his feet. \u201cYeah, that\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it is, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNewsflash, Walthius!\u201d Jeff shouted. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t happen all the time!\u201d<\/p>\n

Walthius snorted louder than usual. \u201cHappens every day. A guy wins the lottery. Another guy gets hit by a truck. A kid is born; a mother dies. Someone wins, someone loses. Changes happen instantly, immediately, and irrevocably.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walthius stopped the car to let someone make a right turn into traffic ahead of him, which Jeff found annoyingly polite. Then he continued his speech, looking Jeff straight in the eye. \u201cAnd you. You\u2019re minding your own business; you fall off the bleachers and then wham! Cosmic catalyst.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, granted,\u201d Jeff conceded. \u201cIf that\u2019s the way you want to go, fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you patronizing me?\u201d Walthius said with mock seriousness, a small smile on his lips. \u201cAre you actually patronizing me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShut up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou shut up,\u201d Walthius said. \u201cSo there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff shut up. Then he didn\u2019t. \u201cThis isn\u2019t like winning the lottery or getting hit by a truck.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, to begin with, the guy who gets hit by a truck usually ends up as road kill, not Superman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAha!\u201d Walthius said, lifting his index finger to add a sting to the point. \u201cKey word there is usually<\/span>, my friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

They stopped again. Walthius surveyed the traffic again and frowned. \u201cCan I get over to the right lane?\u201d he asked. \u201cMaybe if we take Pico, we\u2019d move faster.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe if you\u2019d stop letting people in ahead of us, we\u2019d actually be moving at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to drive?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen up your nose with a rubber hose,\u201d Walthius snapped. \u201cCan I get over or not?\u201d It was the first time he sounded even remotely angry.<\/p>\n

\u201cPico won\u2019t be any faster,\u201d Jeff snapped back. \u201cAnd stop changing the subject.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walthius smiled with Cheshire impudence. \u201cTesty, are we?\u201d Then he returned to his tone of professorial seriousness. \u201cYou raise a provocative point, I must admit. I concede that when a bolt of lightning hits someone, they usually die.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho said anything about a bolt of \u2013\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Barry Allen didn\u2019t die, my friend,\u201d Walthius said, cutting across him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBarry Allen<\/span>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBarry Allen,\u201d Walthius confirmed. \u201cHe<\/span> didn\u2019t die. Cosmic catalyst right there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what?”<\/p>\n

Jeff couldn\u2019t remember a Barry Allen. Was he the guy with the tiny head in Wilkoff\u2019s class? \u201cBarry Allen?\u201d Jeff asked. \u201cDo we know a Barry Allen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWake up.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

Then it hit him. \u201cYou mean the comic book character?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean,\u201d Walthius said, pausing for dramatic effect, \u201cThe Flash<\/span>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff slapped his forehead. \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m talking about the fact that Barry Allen defied your so-called logic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo nasty arachnids send most people to Poison Control, but one turned Peter Parker into Spider-Man.\u201d Jeff tried to protest, but Walthius wouldn\u2019t give him the opening. \u201cAnd,\u201d he continued, \u201cnot everyone at ground zero of a gamma bomb explosion turns into the Incredible Hulk. But, my friend, remember, always, that Bruce Banner did<\/span>. And no one can say that he didn\u2019t.\u201d With each of those last few words, Walthius poked Jeff in the chest and then he nodded his head with a smug \u201cso there\u201d gesture. Then he frowned slightly. “Of course, there’s the TV show version, where he did it to himself, but that’s not relevant, is it?”<\/p>\n

This led to the most awkward pause yet. Jeff\u2019s eyes bore into Walthius, who didn\u2019t bother to return his gaze.<\/p>\n

Jeff was beside himself. \u201cThat\u2019s it? That\u2019s your argument?\u201d he said, more as a sarcastic statement than an actual question.<\/p>\n

Walthius raised an eyebrow. \u201cIs there any other way to look at it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff breathed a few times before speaking. Finally, he said \u201cYou\u2019re a flaming idiot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHigh praise,\u201d Walthius said. \u201cThey said the same thing about the Human Torch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho did?\u201d Jeff asked, his voice and temper rising. \u201cNobody says anything about the Human Torch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course they \u2013\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is<\/span> no Human Torch!\u201d Jeff was getting angry now. \u201cThere are no radioactive spiders! There\u2019s no such thing as a gamma bomb!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven so,\u201d Walthius said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven so<\/span>? There\u2019s also no such thing as the Flash or Peter Parker or the Incredible Hulk!\u201d<\/p>\n

Walthius threw up his hands. \u201cNow you\u2019ve lost me,\u201d he said. The car began to swerve. Jeff reached out instinctively to correct course, but Walthius immediately regripped the steering wheel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you think you\u2019re doing!\u201d Jeff yelled.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry,\u201d Walthius said. \u201cI know I\u2019m not supposed to take my hands off- \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re talking comic books<\/span>!\u201d Jeff exploded. \u201cYou\u2019re rambling on about some stupid comic books! I\u2019m talking real life<\/span>, here, Walthius! Try and keep up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReal life,\u201d Walthius repeated dully. \u201cStupid comic books.\u201d His tone was flat, but there was an edge of irritation in his voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t patronize me<\/span>!\u201d Jeff shouted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen stop being stupid!\u201d Walthius shouted back. He brought the car to a screeching halt and was almost rear-ended by the car behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat in the world is wrong with you?\u201d Jeff said, panicking.<\/p>\n

Walthius eyed him with cold fury. \u201cI expected more from you, Jeff. Especially<\/span> from you.\u201c<\/p>\n

Jeff refused to meet his gaze and instead motioned aimlessly toward the windshield. \u201cJust drive, willya?\u201d<\/p>\n

Walthius ignored him, as well as the exceptionally loud blats of the horn honking directly behind him. \u201cComic books,\u201d he explained, \u201care our modern legends, my friend. They\u2019re archetypes. Constants. They\u2019re the myths we tell each other when we\u2019re huddled around the campfire. And there isn\u2019t a myth that doesn\u2019t have its roots firmly planted in the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff nodded heartily, looking behind him. \u201cFine,\u201d he said, his eyes locked in a staring match with the furious motorist behind him. \u201cIf I agree, will you start driving again?\u201d<\/p>\n

The motorist came down on his horn again. Hard. If he\u2019d had my powers, Jeff thought, there wouldn\u2019t be much left of that car.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeriously, can we move again please?\u201d<\/p>\n

Walthius pondered for just a moment, and then said, simply, \u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine!\u201d Jeff said, relieved.<\/p>\n

They drove in icy silence until Jeff began to mutter under his breath. \u201cCampfires,\u201d he mumbled derisively. \u201cGhost stories. Crap.\u201d<\/p>\n

To Jeff\u2019s surprise, this was the thing that set Walthius off. \u201cCrap, is it? Thousands of years of oral tradition. It\u2019s all crap.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEasy, there, Tex!\u201d Jeff said, smiling uneasily, trying to diffuse a tension he hadn\u2019t noticed until now.<\/p>\n

Walthius would not be deterred. \u201cThe building blocks of civilization were laid around those campfires, you ungrateful little pud.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t doubt it,\u201d Jeff said, his voice unnaturally calm. \u201cIt\u2019s just \u2013\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cJust WHAT?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t huddle around campfires anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen maybe we should!\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n

Jeff came right back at him with \u201cThat\u2019s the dumbest thing I\u2019ve ever heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think so? You think that the cosmos isn\u2019t interested in you? That stuff just happens because it happens?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff was too angry to actually think about his response, but he still knew what his answer was. \u201cYeah, you got one thing right. Stuff just happens because it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you\u2019re wrong,\u201d Walthius yelled. \u201cAnd this<\/span>\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

He took a deep breath and collected himself before he thrust his finger into Jeff\u2019s chest and then pulled his voice down to a natural, conversational level.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis,\u201d he said again, quietly, \u201cis the cosmos proving you wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff opened his mouth and closed it again. He didn\u2019t have an answer for that one. And he could see the freeway up ahead.<\/p>\n

A Great Wall of Headlights, all standing fixed and immovable. At this rate, they\u2019d never get home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Okay,I've broken my original Chapter Three into bite-size chunks, and I'm enjoying this far more than what I feel like writing about today, which is this hideously depressing Wall Street Journal article<\/a> which essentially outlines how the US turns itself into a European-style welfare state overnight, only with the extra added bonus of the end ... Read more<\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stallioncornell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stallioncornell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stallioncornell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stallioncornell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stallioncornell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stallioncornell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5221,"href":"https:\/\/stallioncornell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145\/revisions\/5221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stallioncornell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stallioncornell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stallioncornell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}