Franklin stopped writing and put the pen down because Anand had stopped talking. He had been going strong all morning providing new and intriguing details into the cowboys at Wild West Alive and Franklin was anxious to hear how the story played out. He was sure that the retro-pulp feature that he had promised to Titus would be popular. Franklin wanted to continue, but did not know how to keep Anand on topic. Anand insisted on telling his story his own way, and in his own time.
“Do you want to take a break?” Franklin asked after the silence grew uncomfortable.
“No, thank you,” Anand responded after a moment.
“Best to push on,” Anand continued. “This next part is hard to tell, you see, I need to tell you about when I murdered a man.”
Franklin considered this.
“Is this why you are here in this prison, for the murder of this man?” Franklin asked.
“No,” Anand said laughing nervously, “That will come much later. I told you I am here for the murder of Christopher Mark,”
He paused, then continued.
This was my first murder you might say, although at the time I could not be convicted. This was before the legal system had addressed Synaptic Derivation and before anyone realized that capital crimes would be committed by remote control. The court system did not catch up to the technology until some years later. But they did catch up. There was a case in San Francisco where a woman used Synaptic Derivation to murder her philandering husband. I don’t remember all of the details, but I do know that she managed to secure the mistress as a host. Imagine the husbands surprise when his mistress turned out to be controlled by his vengeful wife. He was caught ‘in flagrante delicto’ in more ways than one.
Anand chuckled at the circumstances of the case. This case would eventually lead to the legal precedent that would, in time, be used to imprison him.
Franklin thought of the host view recording that he had seen when he researched Anand’s trial. A bizarre murder that left Franklin with more questions than answers, at least the wife who utilized Synaptic Derivation to kill her husband had a motive. Franklin again wished that Anand would hurry along with his story.
Anand looked at Franklin directly and spoke with authority, “It’s time for you to hear some dark truths about me.”
Franklin did not respond. He hoped that Anand was ready to tell him some facts that would make sense. Something original he could use in his pulp feature, or even better, a content feature.
Anand continued saying, “I will tell you the story completely and I am depending on you to retell the story faithfully; the truth without edit or embellishment.”
Franklin picked up the pen.
“You must promise,” Anand decreed, “Before we go forward, I must have your promise that you will report accurately and completely. You will tell the truth about what you learn from me.”
“I promise,” Franklin said without hesitation, “I will faithfully and accurately tell your story, without edit or embellishment.”
Franklin did not hesitate to make this promise, and why should he. He had no intention of changing any part of Anand’s story. This retro-feature about the cowboys at Wild West Alive was pure gold. The escalation of real violence inside the fantasy world was even better than he had hoped. This would be the pulp feature that would pay for his new Warmbot. This would be the pulp feature that would make him a celebrity. Franklin considered his wife Dolly. Since their marriage he had felt that she was drifting away from him, spending more and more time Synapped into pulp features. Romance pulp where she was carried away by stronger men, more assertive men. When he published this new retro pulp feature, it would all change. Dolly would see him differently. He would no longer feel like an outsider in his own home.
“Thank you,” Anand said.
“You’re welcome,” Franklin replied, “Shall we continue?”
“Yes, quite right, quite right,” Anand said, “Long way to go yet, much to tell.”
After this exchange, Anand visibly relaxed in his chair. He was past the point of no return and already the stress and tension he felt from carrying his story was beginning to abate.
Anand assumed a more reflective tone, and then continued saying, “You must remember we were caught completely by surprise when real violence erupted at Wild West Alive among our hosts. We thought of these people as employees, as actors in a play. They were being well compensated relative to their previous employment in the plastic brush factory. So when they started to shoot each other with real lead bullets, we were shocked, we were dumbfounded. At first, all we could do was stand and watch.”