The Academy

Chapter 4: One Sam Two Sam Red Sam Blue Sam

*©2014 This book and all it's characters, plot and ideas belong to @caped-commodore. Please do not reproduce, copy or display without expressed permission from the author, in writing.*

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Chapter 4: One Sam, Two Sam, Red Sam, Blue Sam

"Oh my god, look at me. Sitting in my bra in front of a man who's name I don't even know, telling him about my problems, going all Glee on him. Sorry," I end my story off with.

"Don't apologize, I don't mind. I'm actually enjoying this." I slap his arm. "Oi, I'm kidding. Not really, but still. I don't know your name either."

"It's Ashwood. Kyra, actually, but everyone calls me Ashwood."

"Well, Ashwood. I'm Warski, Sam Warski."

"Well, 'Warski, Sam Warski', that still doesn't change the fact that I'm sitting in my bra," I reply dryly, after a short pause.

"No, it doesn't." He glances at his watch. "Didn't you have to do something at 07:15?"

"Yes, why do you-? Shit! It's time!" I twist around, facing my bedside table. Opening the drawer, I say, "Warski, I bet you're wondering what I'm on about."

"I can't say I'm not. What are you looking for?"

"This!" I say, triumphantly holding up a bar of chocolate.

He looks at me like I'm crazy. "I've heard of cravings, but this is a little excessive."

I glare at him (I'm getting pretty good at that). "Ignorance," I look pointedly at him, "is only bliss for the ignorant. For the rest of us, it's a pain. Anyway. Let me explain to you a thing. Three years ago, a young MIT student, moi, was about to go through her final exams. Stressful, right? Wrong! She has an eidetic memory. Know what that is? No? Ok, well, it's like a photographic memory, except better. Because of this, she didn't have to study, so no late nights cramming for her. But it still got her thinking, What if I could invent something that has the effect of temporary insomnia, minus the getting tired bit? I could help all my course-mates. So while her peers were studying, she was working on this. Eventually, she got it. But she was young and impatient." I look at him. "Warski, keep up!" He startles and I see him trying to regain his focus.

"Where was I? Oh, yes. Young and impatient. Instead of going through the normal testing routes, I immediately tested on myself. It worked perfectly. Well, except for one tiny miscalculation. The effects of the Tempus Vigilantes, which is what I called it, were anything but tempus. Actually, they're permanent."

He interrupts, "Wait, does that mean you never sleep?"

"No, I still sleep. I just sleep a lot less and eat a lot more." I wave the chocolate in his face. "I need only 2-3 hours of sleep every day, but I need to consume at least 20 000 kilojoules, that's 10 000 calories, otherwise I'll pass out." Pausing, I wave at him in a Any questions? kind of way, while I eat the chocolate.

"Okay. I see. Instead of being bitten by a radioactive spider or being exposed to extensive amounts of gamma radiation, you...?" He trails off questioningly.

"I consumed a mixture which over-stimulates my mitochondria. You know what those are, right? Mitochondria are-"

"The powerhouses of the cells. I know. I did finish high school biology, you know."

I look at him disbelievingly and he glares. "I'm sure you did, Warski from Operations," I say in a way that let's him know I am, in fact, not sure he did.