"Ah, hello. you're awake. heh, I'd ask if you were well, but, ah, you're quite still hooked to all of this life support stuff. Feel any pain? no, that's good. Umm, gee, where to start. Who am I? umm, well. I suppose you may remember seeing me once in a while. I did show up now and then. But for the most part I've been just watching...Well, no. Not spying on you or stalking or anything like that. Just checking once and a while to see that you were doing ok. Umm, yeah, who am I. well, umm, I'm your great-grandfather.
"I imagine its kinda hard to believe, I certainly don't look it. I mean here is a man that looks about your age, telling you he's your great-grandfather. Heh, it has to be a bit odd. Probably thinking I'm trying to con you into something. Ah well no. I've got one question. But first I am going to try and describe who, and what I am.
"As I already said. I am you great-grandfather. With the war present, and just the basic need to be ahead of the game in the work force, I saved and took some modifications. Cybernetic stuff. And well, its got a bit of a power kick. All of a sudden being really good at something. So I, ah, saved and got more. And well, over time enough got replaced that age stopped being an issue. Umm, that would have been a couple of years after your grandmother was born. She wasn't all that keen on what her father was doing, but she never said much, aloud. You grandmother was a great daughter. You would have loved to meet her. And....I'm rambling.
"Yeah, anyways. So I stopped aging. And well, that kinda made things difficult. I wasn't, am not, the type to kill myself, so ah, I kept living. And well, lots of things, umm, people are not to keen on the idea of someone over a hundred being around. And I learned to just not tell people how old I was, but it didn't help much. All jobs require SINs and well, once they had that, they knew how old you were. And so it got to the point where I couldn't work any more just because I was too old.
"I certainly didn't look it. I've pretty much kept this near thirty look. It, ah, suits me I think. I've added a lot of other neat things. Memory enhancements and some other things. Not having work wasn't too bad. I was good at saving what I earned, and that had grown to a nice sizable sum. And the financial institution I had most of my money in didn't seem to mind my age. And well, it was actually them that connected me with others. That was nice, discovering that there were others in my position.
"Well, it was about it this time that your father got hurt in a random mugging. That rightly pissed me off. And after leaving a fraction of my savings with the hospital to pay the bill, I went after the muggers. I am still not sure why I did that. I was just so mad that my family was attacked, I had to retaliate. Well, I woke the next morning in another hospital. I had dragged myself there, and previous to this I never had any real fighting modifications. Umm, this is when I met Jesse. Well, actually I met her before, I just didn't realize her age. Uh, she is like me, sorta ageless.
"That'd be when I decided to just kinda watch over my family. Protect them as best I can. I didn't need to work, the interest off my savings was more than enough, even after joining the Foundation. With your siblings and cousins scattered over the globe its been a real trick I tell you. umm. yeah. well. yeah. I hope what I've done isn't ill taken.
"umm. sorry if it is.
"...
"Umm, anyways, the question. Umm. well. You've got a lot of the traits I have. And well, I didn't want to ask you this for another couple of decades. But well, I guess, ah, circumstances change things. Anyways, the question. I did ask your father this. he said no. And it is perfectly ok if you also say no. or wait. I think it would be ok if you wanted to wait. But, yeah, the question. umm, Do you want to be a Sentinel? Like me. Not aging, and protecting you family and stuff. Its actually kinda fun sometimes. And the heath care is really good. heh. umm. yeah. not funny."
A creak of the door, Shane walks in. "Samatha is awake now Richard." he states, "So if you're done practicing, you can try talking to her for real this time."
A deep nervous sigh. "yeah. might as well. I am as ready as I will ever be." Richard says, standing, wiping his hands on his pants. "...ready as I'll ever be..." he says again to himself, following Shane to Samatha's room.
Shane was originaly found by ghost. Used with permission.