Season 1, Episode 3 - The Ring Dings XVI - "The Secret Origin of Roman Julian, Part 3"

Roman sat in the office of Vice Principal Paynel, high up in the Winthrop Tower that dominated the Kendall Bridge skyline. Looking out the window, Roman could see the moss-covered ivory towers of Cambridge High School and the various courtyards and gardens that eventually overlapped with those of Cambridge University. To Roman, it seemed like everyone down there looked as small and insignificant as ants.

The middle-aged Paynel himself sat behind his polished desk, looking through papers presented to him by Mr. Kydale. Kydale looked young, in his mid-thirties maybe, and Roman saw the knowing glance he gave him.

One of our supporters here, Roman remembered Sensei saying.

“I admire your courage,” Paynel said, his voice coarse with age. “The deaths of three of your classmates, and groupmates in the State Rddhi Competition no less, cannot be easy.”

Roman sat in his chair confidently. He had no fear of the Vice Principal, nor any fear of the discovery of his role in their deaths. He had no fear of anything or anyone.

“I understand you spoke with Mr. Kydale here about a leave of absence?” Paynel asked.

Roman nodded. “I think it would do me some good just to take some time off. Just for a little bit.”

As if!

Paynel understood. “I understand.”

“Thanks for understanding,” Roman thanked him.

“However...” Paynel looked out the window for a moment. “I have also spoken with Mr. Kydale here. We believe that...there may be an opportunity for you to redeem yourself after that horrid display in the Competition. Third place! There’s been six tournaments, and this is the first time Cambridge High has dishonored itself so severely!”

Kydale previously informed Roman that there would be an “opportunity” at this meeting, a way to sweeten the deal and get Roman out of harm’s way for some time. The deaths of three students from the same group, leaving one sole survivor, was bound to be seen suspiciously. Conspiracy theorists and the State Police, who already had icy relations with the Rddhi schools, generally pointed the finger at vengeful elements within the school angered by the dishonor. To avoid any potential vengeful elements within the prominent families of those slain students, Sensei and Kydale arranged for Roman to lay low for a while.

But the way Paynel disdainfully spoke...Roman knew the Vice Principal would have much preferred a Neponset prole like him to have died instead of those three students.

But Roman kept quiet. He knew he needed to keep working on himself and other proles and lowlifes like him until the day arrived when he could change the mind of Vice Principal Paynel and the society he represented. By force, if necessary. And Roman hoped it was necessary.

“An opportunity?” Roman asked.

“This is the first time in six years that West Narragansett has ever claimed anything beyond a lowly third place,” Paynel explained. “And to achieve first place in a competition involving the mind...perhaps we have underestimated Chairman Stockham’s recruiting. We assumed only rats with potentials even lower than yours ended up there, but it seems they must have found some sort of hidden talent there.”

Roman couldn’t stop himself from speaking. “What if he's recruiting those with little natural talent and they just work hard enough to beat our students?”

Paynel laughed. “Don’t delude yourself with fantasies. Try as you might, hard work can never beat inborn talent. That’s why third place is such a black mark on our school. West Narragansett must be hiding a stockpile of talent. We know Stockham’s little personal fiefdom is only possible through generous government subsidies and industry connections. Something’s hidden there. That’s where you come in.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you, is there anyone else in the room?” Paynel chided.

Roman bit his inner lip to avoid throttling the Vice Principal.

“You want to go away, right?” Paynel asked. “That’s rhetorical, don’t answer that. I know you do. I’ll grant you your leave, but only if you go where we tell you to.”

“And would that be Elizabeth Pond?” Roman asked.

“Indeed. The West Narrangsett Technical Academy’s home district.”

“Isn’t is closed off? How am I supposed to get in there?”

This time, Kydale spoke. “Recently, our scouts observed there was a reorganization of the internal affairs of the Academy. A big shakeup of Stockham’s intelligence units and bodyguards. Things are still relatively chaotic there. We’ve already prepared a new identity for you.”

Kydale passed a manila envelope to Roman. “You’ll be placed in charge of a small convenience store owned by a friend of Cambridge.” He glanced knowingly at Roman at the word ‘friend’. “Considering our friend’s wealth and connections, you’ll have a little side project for yourself. You’re the only employee on the roster so far. Hiring staff, organizing shipments, sales and decorations, all that you’ll be in charge of. You’ll have some help, of course, but we leave it to you.”

Roman really wasn’t sure if he wanted to spend his vacation running a convenience store. “What’s the point of it?”

“To continue your growth,” Kydale answered with the words of Sensei. “As you better yourself along the way with new skills and areas of thinking with a real-world application, you’ll also learn how to impart those lessons onto others.”

“You should write our curriculum sometime,” Paynel said, clearly amused. “Don’t forget the real mission. The store will be located along a central avenue. Rddhi users, other students, and faculty will all be passing through. Listen carefully. Record anything that might be of value to us.”

Roman barely heard Paynel’s orders, feeling far more interested in what Kydale had to say. From feeling utterly powerless, to regaining control of himself, to teaching others the same lessons that saved him from despair...

“I won’t let you guys down,” Roman declared proudly.

“Take a look inside the envelope,” Kydale suggested.

Roman flipped it open. The first page on top was a new ID card.

“Roman Julian,” he read aloud.

“A name fit for a new man full of self-confidence, right?” Kydale said.

Phil nodded.

Back in the present, in the middle of Bay Mart, Reed burst out laughing. “Phil? Fucking Phil?”

“Yes, that was my old name,” Roman admitted. “A name for when I was weak. Roman is not weak-”

“Can’t you believe that, Auds?” Reed asked. “His name was Phil?”

“Auds?”

Reed stopped laughing. “...I was in a naming mood,” she said, quickly looking away.

“Ah, Reed, I love it!” Audrey twirled in place. “My very own nickname! And it’s from you!”

Reed crossed her arms. “I told you I get carried away in the heat of the moment-”

“Enough!” Roman interjected. “Reed, my wife, I must finish my story. You must hear the truth of it all.”

Reed rolled her eyes. “I think I like how you talk better in the flashbacks-”

But Roman was already narrating.

The morning Roman was due to leave for a new life in Elizabeth Pond. He gathered his things, which only consisted of a big bag of old clothes and some philosophy books he had recently purchased.

Roman stood proudly at the door. Earlier that year, despite hating where we was in life, he would have been too scared to accept a new opportunity. People are creatures of habit, sticking to their routines, so the prospect of change could prove to be too much for many.

But not for Roman. Not anymore. He knew what he was doing. He knew could do it. He knew he was the best.

Roman realized his mother stood behind him. Looking at her now, as a new man, Roman realized how aged she look, how her hair was slowly turning gray, her hands coarse and rough from years of industrial work on the assembly line.

“I’m proud of you,” she said. “You’ve grown into a fine young man.”

For the first time, Roman felt the full weight of his mother’s sacrifices. In that cramped little apartment in that cramped little skidrow, she worked all this time, just so Roman would have an opportunity like this. Talk about fighting back against destiny and the world; she never stopped believing, and neither would he.

“Thanks, mum.”

We’ll change the world so you can finally have the rest you deserve.

Roman opened the door and took his first steps into the new world. A cab was waiting for him outside that would take him to Elizabeth Pond.

“Remember me when you’re famous!” his mother called out.

Roman looked back and smiled.

“I’m gonna change the world, mum. Thanks for everything!”

With that, he departed. He would make a new world for the sake of those who had to live in the old one.

Power certainly felt addicting. Not in two hundred years had the power of the individual over his own life dwarfed the power of the state. The state - the Presidential Administration - penetrated everywhere in life. Propaganda posters could be spotted all over on the way to work or school; State Police officers in their longcoats strolled around, knowing the power they held over the masses; military convoys patrolled the streets; public book burnings were held regularly; the lone blimp always present in the sky with its patrol planes; they all served as constant reminders that the state had claimed Max Weber’s monopoly of legitimate violence within its given territory.

State power penetrated into your very soul, coloring your thoughts. When a man can’t think, he becomes nothing more than an automaton, and it seemed to Roman that a great many people in New England were automatons. And if Sensei didn’t show him the full power of his Rddhi, he would’ve become one too.

The Rddhi. For the individual to reclaim his power over the state, he needed to go beyond his human limits. Supernatural powers limited to a select few; that was the great equalizer in society. The government could push around the weak all it wanted, but when it came to the Rddhi, it treaded much more carefully. Compared to his own home and neighborhood, Roman saw how carefree the inhabitants of Kendall Bridge lived, protected by the umbrella of Cambridge University. They grew rich and haughty from it, forgetting their roots, forgetting that ninety-nine percent of the district’s inhabitants were unpowered, only protected from the state by the small Rddhi minority.

Elizabeth Pond seemed slightly different. Due to its enclosed nature and general backwater status compared to the rest of the city, the people there were less affluent, more honest with themselves. While the Presidential Administration has less influence within the district, the conceptual state still existed in the form of Mr. Stockham’s personal autocracy. But he left the people mostly alone. So, here was a little city-state unto itself, with hard-working people of a jovial nature. They didn’t get to vote, but the local government seemed efficient and well-meaning.

That’s why Roman grew to hate the people of Elizabeth Pond. Life here was how life should be. And knowing that people here got to live like this – quiet lives, the right balance of friendliness and minding your own business – made Roman feel bitter. Too bitter.

Roman wanted to strike back. Being a Rddhi user enabled him to, after all. He wasn’t a normal human. He was beyond human. He began to see others in the same way you see a fly. Roman felt that he and the rest of humanity had the same sort of power relationship. The diseases flies carry could harm a human, but the actual damage a fly could inflict on its own was quite minimal. At most, it’s a tiny little annoyance. But when a fly buzzes too close to you, when you see it somewhere it’s not supposed to be...

For the vast majority of the population, killing a human was immoral and a terrible crime. Killing an animal cruelly and unnecessarily was slightly less immoral, but still on the list. Killing a fly takes a few seconds and then you’d be on your way, forgetting about the fact that you killed a living being within the next few minutes.

Roman didn’t feel anything after killing the three Cambridge High School students. He certainly wouldn’t feel anything now.

His first victim came from the New York Quarter. Having been built upon over a century of decay and collapse, there were an unknown number of hidden tunnels running in and out of Elizabeth Pond. The Academy worked hard at sending its users out to detect tunnels, but actually filling them required money, materials, and manpower, so many tunnels still remained open as the Academy worked its way down the list. Roman heard that a particular tunnel was wide enough to drive a motorcycle through, but the one he picked was small, cramped, and most importantly, far away from any prying eyes.

The New York Quarter was actually easier to get into. Following the end of the First American War and the Occupation of Naugatuck Valley, the restrictions on the Quarter had been lifted as part of the peace and diplomatic treaties. The wall was still there, but the Presidential Administration removed the guarded gate in the opening to the ghetto years ago. Despite the opening, the New Yorkers mainly stuck to themselves, and so did the New Englanders in the rest of the city, and that’s how it went.

Roman walked fearlessly down the dark streets and alleyways. A few people looked at him curiously; night was not a time to be walking aimlessly around the Quarter. He passed by seedy-looking youths, groups of drunks, people with nowhere to go standing around barrel fires. He heard dogs barking and the occasional gunshot.

Nobody would notice a person missing from here.

Of course, killing a random New Yorker would not exactly be considered an example of “striking back” against the state. Roman knew this, but numerous reasons convinced him to keep going.

This is a test run. After all, you should measure twice and cut once.

It's good practice.

I’ll do it because I can.

Roman casually approached a young woman standing with her hands out in front of barrel fire by her lonesome. She looked at him and Roman realized that, if she still had the energy, she would’ve told him off, would’ve defended her territory right there and then.

But she was just too tired.

Killing her...that would be a mercy. This is the world we currently inhabit. That’s why things need to change. And until then...I’ll end the suffering of those who just can’t keep going.

With that twisted logic, Roman himself kept going.

Roman grew bolder. He moved on from girls in the New York Quarter to girls in the western side of Narragansett. Girls in Elizabeth Pond remained untouchable – proof that the Rddhi was the great equalizer between those with power and those who didn’t.

During the days, he performed his job at Bay Mart. With his mind on...other things...he didn’t bother with hiring any staff. He preferred being alone. His only human contact was the weekly truck run which smugglers used as a cover to unload their own goods alongside the store’s. The smuggling was run out of Hayman, run by that snake named Stefano; the smugglers just used Bay Mart as a cover and for overflow storage.

Roman did listen in on the conversations of those who came into their store. Just like Sensei, Roman grew increasingly interested in the way those inferior to him thought.

The conversations were usually mindless, just like anywhere else in the city. Roman grew bitter listening to them talk about nothing.

Then one day, two girls walked in. One was a tall blonde, the other had a blue streak in her hair. Both of them wore uniforms designating them as Rddhi users.

They stopped in the snack aisle. The one with the blue streak tried to calm her taller friend. “It’s alright, Mackenzie-”

“I baked her an effing cake!”

And she didn’t say effing.

“Yeah, and everyone on the team still got to eat it. It made a lot of people happy. Me included. You got the touch when it comes to chocolate strawberry.”

“I do?” Mackenzie asked, looking away so her friend wouldn’t see her blush. Roman went back to staring at the wall. Just another mindless conversation-

“It’s just ridiculous,” Mackenzie complained again. “It’s just practice! Why is it so hard to just go and do what you gotta do?”

“Some people don’t like being told what to do,” her friend explained. “Especially when it’s something like the Academy. Some people don’t like authority.”

Roman found himself listening to the conversation with a renewed interest.

“Don’t like authority?" Mackenzie questioned. "It’s just practice. Why struggle so hard to get out of it?”

The other girl shrugged. “It’s just her way of standing up, I guess. Wasn’t very nice of her, but if you’re gonna change someone’s mind, you gotta at least understand where their mind is coming from.”

Standing up. Roman liked this girl who stood up when the state told her to sit.

“Why are you defending her?” Mackenzie questioned.

The friend shrugged. “I feel bad for her sometimes. And besides, when it comes to Reed, it’s love at first sight.”

Mackenzie rolled her eyes and the two went back to finding some snacks.

Reed.

Roman rolled the name around in his head.

Finally, someone who understands.

I need to meet her.