Forgot to write on my day off, but I'll update everyone now that I'm back home. Working again tomorrow, so I'll do this now.
Slept in, for starters, which is something I usually don't do, but I was exhausted. I've been joining the men for their morning P.T. and even though I'm faster and stronger than most of them, it's still an ass-kicking. Got up and made some breakfast, just some eggs and toast, nothing fancy, and some tea. Tea is expensive, but compared to coffee it's not too bad. I get paid pretty well, so I can afford it. I keep chickens, too, since it's important to be able to provide for yourself nowadays. Sometimes the grocery doesn't have eggs. It's all supply issues, mostly. Transportation is kinda tricky for civilians and companies. Not as many cars as there used to be. Most people ride bikes or take the trains and buses. "Local Grown" isn't just a fancy idea anymore, it's a way of life. I've got a neighbor down the road that bakes, so my bread comes from there, and the tea is imported from somewhere.
I enjoyed a pretty leisurely morning, did a little work around the yard. The grass was getting unruly. Oh, I guess I should explain. I've got a small house inside the military base I'm stationed at, so I've got a lawn and a yard with some bushes that I've never bothered to identify. All I'm missing is a white picket fence and... well. The wife and kids are obviously elsewhere.
Popped down to the local store to look for something for dinner. Got a cheap cut of steak (locally bred, of course) and some potatoes and carrots and other vegetables. As I was leaving, I noticed a new store in town that had just opened, which was attracting a lot of attention. I decided to take a look, and I was very surprised to find an Improbable Enterprises Store (run by our dear friends at the Network). I'd heard of these, of course. The Improbable Island Show is extremely popular, being one of the only shows on the television nowadays that was purely for entertainment purposes. I decided to take a peek inside, out of a sense of curiosity.
Let me tell you, it was a strange experience.
First, I knew that I.I. had merchandise and stuff, but this was... overwhelming. There were T-shirts with contestant's faces, or caricatures of contestants. Mugs with phrases associated with contestants. Island Monster plush dolls. Action figures. It was astounding and amazing. Oh, and then there were the episode tapes! They had footage of stuff like 'The Best of (Insert Contestant Name Here)". There were tapes of clan gatherings. Romance, action, comedy, and drama!
Did you know that there's an Island cooking show? No? I didn't either, but apparently whenever somebody cooks something that looks tasty on the show, they add it into this "Improbable Cooking" show. It's even got some professional chef host that explains steps and techniques. Micha is a favorite, and her test kitchen looks pretty amazing in post-production. Not sure how they're getting shots in the kitchen, I was pretty sure Micha was fairly camera-shy. Something to ponder.
Regardless, I looked into the "Classic Island" section and found the strangest thing of all. A section of tapes featuring me! They ranged over a variety of subjects, from sort of Emergency-Room Drama episodes to action and adventure. There was a lot of stuff with TYPES as well, there. I was... tempted to buy one, but I decided against it, for two reasons. First, I didn't want to support the Network. I think the whole show is wrong, and while I'm not the only one, we're a minority out here, mostly because people don't think the show is real. Second, the past is painful, and the last thing I wanted was to dredge up old memories.
Then I found an action figure of me. It had on my lab coat, and it was carrying my kukri and pistol and red medical bag.
God help me, but I bought the damn thing.
I went home and started cooking my steak and veggies, and perused my handy Improbable Network Watcher Device, looking in on old friends. Couldn't find everyone, but that's not too surprising. There aren't quite cameras EVERYWHERE. I spotted a few people, though. Shi and Makiwa were having a chat in the commons. Eben was filing things, I think, though the camera that was watching him was having issues. Z was tearing around with her Goggles on. Kolojang was around as well, being a mushroom. Drizzt was relaxing in his home.Arodang was goofing around in Kittania. NewHome was full of noobs (of course), along with a few old hands. I spotted Svergon in Improbable Central, and Sneaky too. As I write this, I'm peeking around for my family members, but nobody seems to be on camera at the moment.
Scratch that. Remember when I mentioned that Devon was up to something? I was right.
The ducks tipped me off. A whole ring of them. At first, I thought it was just something with QQQ. The angle on the camera is bad, and they're a little ways away, but it looks like they're surrounding Devon... and Devon's not looking to great.
This was a mistake, looking. It's too hard not to want to... DO something. But I can't. I can just sit here and hope for the best...
Is she leaking improbability?
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