SOTOPIA: Artificial Pseudo-God

Theodore first met Maynard at the Quantico base in the 90s.

In the ability assessment when the FBI National Academy was admitted, Theodore, who was in charge of the actual combat training, was not an examiner for any subject, but he was used to appearing in the observation room with other colleagues to comment on the poor or excellent performance of the new faces one by one .It was then that Theodore, like the other instructors, became aware of Maynard's presence.

Changes in international public opinion after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, domestic opposition to remote control of foreign wars, and the cultural trend of the consumer society in the electronic age, these external factors seem to have never had any personal impact on the young Maynard.This outstanding new student always keeps a polite and distant distance from most people, and only gets closer to a few fellow countrymen who can chat with him. In his self-introduction, he knew that his parents were still alive, and he had a younger sister who was in high school. His family background could be called a standard middle class.

Maynard was not tall, and his short black hair made his appearance and temperament somewhat gloomy.He is not short-sighted, but he is used to wearing a pair of plain glasses. It is said that he witnessed the bombing at close range when he was a child, and his eyes were almost injured by the bombing, which left a psychological shadow.Among a group of quasi-agents, it must be said that Maynard is not too conspicuous—at least before the assessment begins.

"Did you notice that Maynard Russell? He shoots with a steady hand and a strong control over the recoil." During the assessment of the indoor shooting project, he stood with Theodore in a one-way observation The teacher in front of the window said so.

But Theodore just shook his head silently.After a few seconds, he commented: "His movements are still too impatient. His consciousness is very good, but his physical fitness cannot keep up with the expected response ability, and it is easy to disrupt the rhythm. If he wants to develop in the direction of field work in the future, he must Some bad operating habits need to be corrected. Some abilities require talent, while others require experience.”

"You are so demanding, Theodore." The colleague smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Old buddy, I heard that among the students in this batch, that kid has maintained a stable lead in the items that have completed the initial assessment."

"First?"

"First."

"That's really excellent." Theodore nodded, temporarily affirming Maynard's business ability.But Maynard is still a student after all, and there is still a certain distance from actually entering the FBI.

He continued to watch the young man through the glass.

It wasn't until the actual combat exercise in the middle of the training that Theodore, who was in charge of the on-site guidance, met Maynard, who played the role of commando captain, again.

"Eliminate bank robbers", this is a common drill project at the Quantico base.In order to evaluate the results of the exercise, Theodore, who played the role of "bandit leader", listened attentively to the infinite dialogues of the participating students during the exercise.Pre-reconnaissance, confirmation of coordinates, finalization of offensive routes, real-time adjustment of combat deployment, and mutual communication of the situation of each point are all things Theodore is very familiar with.

And amidst the din of radio calls, he almost guessed at the outset which voice belonged to Maynard.The report is fast and accurate, without any nonsense or hesitation, and the action arrangements for teammates are also in line with the tactical rules and the situation on the spot.

"Sure enough." Theodore praised Maynard's outstanding performance.

Team members line up in front of a mock "bank" after the exercise.The fierce battle made them look a little embarrassed, their hair and clothes were covered with dust, and the heavy equipment made them sweat profusely, so they had to stand upright and panted.

Maynard, the leader, was no exception. At most, his panting voice was much lower.

Theodore stood in front of them, his gaze swept from Maynard at the head of the line to the back of the line, and then back again.

"You," he pointed at Maynard, "take off your gear. Get out."

"Yes, sir." Maynard did as he did, and the weight on his body immediately became much lighter.Still lowering his eyes slightly, he walked up to Theodore, waiting for the other party's next instruction.

Theodore looked at the only "victim" of the attacking side of the exercise - at the last moment of the exercise, in the narrow "vault", Maynard, who rushed ahead, had a short close-up with the last masked gangster In the end, he was judged to be dead because he was "stabbed in the abdomen by an enemy's dagger".

Maynard seems to be brooding over his failure.Maynard's eyes widened when Theodore asked him to get into a prep position to replay the final fight.

"You are the 'bandit leader' just now." Maynard said.Indeed, Theodore had already changed the suit in the exercise, and he seemed to be able to do a job with ease. It was normal for the students not to recognize him for a while.

Theodore nodded with a smile.He let Maynard come on like he had just done, and brought himself down in a close-combat style.The black-haired young man had fierce eyes and a fierce attack.Of course, Theodore's overwhelming experience and ability superiority and Maynard's already consumed physical strength made this small fight repeat the ending of the exercise.Theodore easily pinned Maynard to the ground, a rubber dagger across his neck.

"If it was in actual combat, you would already be dead." Theodore commented lightly, and then let go of the subdued Maynard, watching him quickly get up from the ground and stand up.

Even so, the young student's demeanor did not change much, he just responded in a low voice, "Yes, sir."

"You don't trust your teammates enough——Maynard Russell, you think you are superior, and you have been rushing to the front to clear obstacles from the beginning of the exercise. When there are only a few enemies left, you also think, 'Others may be out of control. I am not fair, knowing that I am not physically strong, but I did not replace other players with better conditions for tactical suppression. The difference between veterans and rookies, survival and death lies in this.”

When he said this, Theodore's gaze at Maynard could almost be described as scorching eyes, the elder's sense of authority and the expert's accuracy and sharpness complemented each other.

Maynard was silent and did not meet Theodore's eyes.But this does not mean that he did not listen carefully to the teachings of his predecessors.On the contrary, Maynard at this time still maintains a highly focused mental state during the exercise, just like every course he has completed.

Theodore finally confirmed: "Do you understand what I mean, student."

Maynard finally raised his eyes to meet him, his eyes were calm and clear: "Yes sir, I understand."

"That's good." Theodore showed him the kindness after solving the key problem.

In fact, Theodore attaches great importance to the moment of looking at each other - he is good at reading people's hearts.After a brief eye contact, he suddenly realized how different Maynard was from others.

If the previous exchanges were the inevitable result of the FBI National Academy, then at least half of the fact that Maynard voluntarily opened his body in front of him was due to Theodore's deliberate design.

Maynard is one of the students who stand out from the National Academy's assessment and wait for a job assignment from their superiors.During the celebration held in a bar near the base, Theodore saw him among colleagues and students who were laughing and drinking.

Theodore, who was not wearing a formal uniform and did not carry a weapon, walked towards Maynard who was sitting on the other side of the bar, and everything officially started from here.

They all had some wine.Whiskey and rum mixed together steamed the brain and the flesh.Maynard sat in front of the bar, watching his acquaintance from the same country strike up a conversation with the girl of the same period through drinking.Theodore stood next to him, curled his fingers and tapped a few times on the wooden surface of the bar.There was so much noise in the background that Maynard barely heard it.

Maynard looked up to find Theodore watching him condescendingly.

Neither of them spoke, but in the eye contact, they immediately understood what the other meant and what was going to happen.So Maynard followed Theodore, bypassing the drunken people, leaning against the wall and walking out of the bar.

Theodore and Maynard walked one after the other on the sidewalk beside the street.The cold wind at midnight is more noisy than the tacit silence between the two.

"Have you ever heard of the 'don't ask, don't tell' principle. This is the policy just proposed by President Clinton." Theodore, who was walking in front, suddenly asked pointedly.

As long as homosexuals in the military remain silent about their sexual orientation, the commander will not resort to exposure or deportation.However, the effect of this policy is not as expected.

Maynard replied stiffly: "I heard, sir." Even after drinking, he did not reveal his emotions and true thoughts.

"Now we don't get along with a teacher-student relationship, you can call me by my name directly."

Maynard hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Theodore glanced back at him, and continued, "When I served in Delta, the military didn't have this attitude."

Maynard didn't answer, and didn't know how to answer.But soon, he realized that Theodore was not expecting any unconventional views on this issue-this was just a hint.Facts have also proved that Maynard's guess is correct.

It was only a few steps into Theodore's residence, and as soon as the door closed, Theodore's body forced him up.Maynard was pushed against the wall of the aisle. His poor physique and sluggish body reaction after drinking made him give up resistance, and even took the initiative to put his arms around Theodore's strong shoulders.In the narrow space surrounded by the flesh, the scorching breath and the heartbeat echoing in the eardrum intertwined, already expressing everything that was about to happen.

"If you don't want to, you can leave at any time." Theodore's voice was hoarse and low.Even then, he manages the tone well so that it doesn't sound dangerously forced but rather suggestively debatable.

— In fact, there is no need to make such kind advice at all.

The reason is simple, they almost tacitly anticipated such a result from the very beginning.

Perhaps a combination of the alcohol and the high room temperature, Maynard felt that his skin was burning hot, and his brain even more so.He shook his head, tightening his arms around Theodore's back.

No need for too many words, the purpose of the action is clear enough.

The two didn't kiss, and there was no gentle and delicate foreshadowing. Everything was as simple and rough as a real knife and gun conflict—after all, their initial expectations did not include developing any emotional connection other than this. As sound and scientific as the real obsessions perfectly disguised by doublethink.

From instinct to rationality, each takes what he needs, that's all.

Theodore turned Maynard away and leaned against the wall.They didn't even have time to move a few steps to switch on the nearest light.In the dim environment, the hot breath and wanton physical contact made the heart beat almost too fast.When Maynard's rapid and slight shouts began to be stained with inaudible but irrepressible crying, Theodore bowed his head and kissed the back of his sweaty neck.