Genesis of a New Blog

Hi everybody (all 35 of you at the time of this post)!

My name's Les... first time caller, long time listener and I'd like to comment about the war started by those terrorists Leukocytes of Gaea... except it doesn't really happen until 2059, so there is no one to argue the conspiracy theories with in 2015.

So why bring this fictional futuristic group of terrorist up in my first blog post? Well... the Epilogue for ...Saves Nine was originally three times longer than the one you've read (you have read ...Saves Nine haven't you?). And one of the scenes that I cut I really liked... so I'm posting it here:

Jane's face becomes one of quiet contemplation. I remain silent alongside her.
She finally ventures another question. “You said disproved. So what really happened?”
“An elaborate plan laden with highly technical components,” I begin. “Managed by an extremist group whose membership, though international in makeup, embraced non-national allegiances. The name they promoted for propagandist purposes was 'The Leukocytes of Gaea'. One group was deeply ensconced in the Chinese military. They were able to override their own strategic defense computer with a simulation that detected incoming missiles from India. To add credence to the simulated attack, another group smuggled a nuclear bomb into the Zhanjiang harbor disguised as a fishing boat. The city of Zhanjiang was leveled and the mushroom cloud was visible from Hong Kong.”
“So why did these lucca-psychos want India and China to nuke each other?”
She is indeed inquisitive by nature. Were she born in my own era, Jane might have become a Chrono-Historian. “Are either of the words 'leukocytes' or 'Gaea' part of your vocabulary?”
She seems irritated by my question. “No. Should they be?”
“I am not familiar with your education. It is possible that you would have learned of Gaea if you were instructed in Greek mythology. 'Leukocyte' is a biological term that you would have learned if you studied immunology.”
“Wow, Lex,” she says sharply, “I'm sorry my twentieth century high school education is so pitiful.”
She is most definitely angry. Again, I have to draw parallel observances with Sean Kelly. I must placate her. “By no means, Miss Carmichael, did I purposefully disparage your education or intelligence. On the contrary, I did not begin with a definition of the terms for fear of projecting the appearance of condescension, in the event that you were already familiar. But I do apologize, none-the-less.”
Her face belies no particular emotion, and I feel myself growing uncomfortable under her visual scrutiny.
“OK, Lex,” she finally says with what I interpret can be described as a sigh. “I believe that you're sorry, so go ahead and tell me what I should have learned in Greek mythology and immunology.”
My first thought is that Sean Kelly would not have been able to repeat those phrases without somehow mutilating the words. I suspect Jane Carmichael's I.Q. is higher than his.
“Leukocytes defend the human body against infectious disease and foreign invaders, while...”
“I thought that was white blood cells,” Jane interrupts.
“Correct. Leukocyte is simply a more scientific nomenclature,” I explain.
Her cheeks have pushed closer to her brows, narrowing the aperture of her eyes. I have learned this reaction is generated by anger. I must apologize again.
“Never mind,” Jane says before I speak, then expels breath rather explosively. “Go on.”
“In Greek mythology, Gaea was considered a primordial goddess, creator of the Earth, the Universe, great mother of all the primal Greek Mother Goddesses, as well as mother to the Titans, and it seems nearly everything else in the pantheon.”
“So... white cells of the mother goddess? That sounds messed up.”
“That is merely the source of the word. Beyond the name origin, Gaea more recently became a philosophy which expounds that everything in the biosphere of Earth, both organic and inorganic, are all interrelated components of a single entity. As you are composed of components such as skin, heart, lungs, nervous system, circulatory system, et cetera; Gaea is an organism composed of minerals, air, water, animals, vegetation, et cetera.”
Jane transports a small portion of soup to her mouth, then points the withdrawn spoon at me. “So the Loco-Psychos think the Earth is one big living organism and somehow think they're being helpful by creating a nuke-fest?”
She has mispronounced leukocytes, but I believe it was intentional. When I give it some thought, I decide the substitute phrase of 'crazy-crazies' might actually be quite clever. “I will agree that on the surface it appears counter-intuitive, but their published manifesto explained their rational. Their position was that while mankind initially was in harmony with Gaea, it mutated into a cancerous organism that would eventually lead to the death of the entire biosphere. Their suggested solution was to cull the human population to a level that would again be in harmony with the rest of Gaea.”
Jane picks up her fork and pushes rice and lamb korma together. I assume she means to combine them for consumption, but she seems distracted and drags the fork repeated through the mixture.
“Lay it on me straight, future-man,” she says without lifting her eyes from the food she manipulates, “Does it bum you out at all that you guys from the future know all about what's going to happen and just let it go without lifting a finger to stop it?”

So there it is... straight from the cutting room floor. Besides the added length to the Epilogue, the Leukocytes of Gaea have no more mentions until Book 4, so it seemed logical to cut them... for now.

Since I'm a novice blogger, I'm not sure if the Goodreads blog allows for public comment or not, or even how you find out I've written this.

Until next time (whenever that might be), I remain, your humble servant,

Les Lynam