Cherokee Harbor

Ackart; G1 - Life Goes On

2007-09-02T11:49:00.000-05:00

The following is a direct transcript of surveillance tapes:

"Cybil, honey, we need to talk..."

"Oh, boy..."
...

"What's going on with you?"

"What are you talking about, Mom?"

"You know what I'm talking about. I don't want to lecture you and you're not in trouble. I just want to know what's going through that head of yours. Don't insult me by playing coy - talk to me."

...

*sigh*

...

"I know you miss your father. So do I."

"Mom..."

"It's hard for me, too. Do you think it's easy? I miss your father every day. And then I worry about you and Nathan, and what about Thaddeus?"

"Mom, if Dad hadn't left us..."

"LEFT us?!? He didn't "leave" us. He died. It's not like he had a choice about it. Is that what you think? That he just up and left of his own free will? Oh, honey..."

...

"Mom, I'm sorry. It's just so hard. I miss Dad."

"I know you do, honey. So do I."

"I guess I've just been trying to forget..."

"Cybil! You should never try to forget him. Don't you realize that's the only way he lives on? Hold him close - that way he'll never leave you; he'll always be with you."

"You're right. *sniffle* But, Mom, I've been thinking... what if Dad didn't die in an accident?"

"Cybil. Your father is dead. We saw the body, we went to the funeral."

"Oh, I know that. I just mean - what if it wasn't an accident?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Dad was doing that research... what if he found out something?"

"Well, I suppose it's possible. But honestly, I don't think so. I think you're trying to rationalize his death. Sometimes bad things happen for no good reason. Besides, think about it - why would someone kill your father over DNA research?"

"I guess you're right..."

Investigation will need to be made into this. Subject may need memory repair or neutralization. - R.A.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After that, Cybil seemed like a different person. Her friend, Dominic, was over at the house all the time, but she was staying away from Payton and her old friends that were somewhat on the wild side.

I'm actually pretty fond of Dominic. He's got a good head on his shoulders. He's got plans to go to college, and he's polite, and, well... any boy that will help his girlfriend's kid brother with his homework is all right in my book.

It seemed like every time I turned around, Cybil was surprising me. Here she is reading to Thaddeus.

And bathing Ares. And that's quite a feat - I think that dog's as big as the bathtub.

And work was going well for me, too.

I had enough money saved up to throw a nice party for Thaddeus when he grew into a teenager.

Heh. That boy LOVES chocolate.

And... never mind. I so did not need to see that. I won't fuss, though - Cybil's almost a grown woman now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are some random family shots:

Cybil, entirely too chipper first thing in the morning...

Nathan, right after he lost his job. Not a happy camper...

Thaddeus, in love with himself...

I think if he gets much bigger of a head he's going to be stuck in the bathroom - he won't be able to fit back out the door.

Here I am on my way to work - and yes, I got another promotion. Go, me!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And then the day was here...

My babies are off to college.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm going to miss them. But, at least I've still got my baby boy home for a bit longer.

Him, and his ego...

Roanhorse; G1 - Chapter 2

2007-08-24T18:16:00.000-05:00

Da go Te'. Hello! It seems strange to be writing in the family journal. Father has passed away now. Here's a picture of him with one of the twins, who have now grown up a bit.

This is Gabriel.

Note from Arki: Omigod. What's wrong with her face?!?! Help! Please, oh, please, let her out-grow it. I'm guessing this is why people say BodyShop sims aren't very breedable.

And this is Gavin. We have got to do something about their hair and clothes.

Much better.

And a new outfit. She looks so cute - she just learned to walk.

And here's Gavin again - minus that hideous pink tuxedo. What Weatherly was thinking to dress him in that is beyond me. She says the hospital did it, but I don't know that I believe her. You'd think that would be a poor business decision on their part.

Jasmine loves the snow. She kept after me that she wanted to build a snowman, so here we are.

I think we stayed out a bit long, though. I always thought "turning blue" was an expression. Guess not.

Before I knew it, she grew into a teen.

Why do I feel like I need to get a baseball bat and a large dog?

And Gabby and Gavin grew up, as well.

From Arki: Thank god, she seems to have outgrown some of the ugly. Whew!

They'll be starting school soon - and they're already excited!

On a side-note, I keep seeing Billy. I haven't told Weatherly or anyone, but it's like he's trying to tell me something. I just wish I knew what.

But I went ahead and got that dog. I'm not sure how big she'll be, but the kids already love her. And that's really what it's all about.

Love and family and friends.

Interlude: Canopy Sim-Corp

2007-08-23T10:47:00.001-05:00

Taking a brief leave-of-absence from Cherokee Harbor, let's check in at Canopy Sim-Corp.

"So, tell me, how is the project going?"

"Well, good and bad. The good news is that most of the studies are coming along nicely. Also, The community is now self-sufficient and we're even beginning to recoup some of our initial investment."

"Excellent! So, what is the bad news?"

"Well, it seems that Agsded has lost nearly a week's worth of surveillance footage and photos."

"What! How? And what steps have been taken to correct his incompetency?"

"Nothing's been done."

"Oh? And why not?"

"You should know that I don't tolerate failure. In this case, I believe that he wasn't responsible. And we may have just had a boon fall into our laps."

"Explain."

"Would you believe that the lover of the YP-890 subject was kidnapped by aliens?"

"I don't find that amusing."

"And I don't joke about business. It's actually rather strange. Agsded says she is strongly resisting the drug. He had her almost to the breaking point - she was standing over him while he slept with a knife in her hand. Suddenly, she stopped."

"Really? Do we know why?"

"No. We suspect that Billy Roanhorse has been helping her somehow. You know he's considered a medicine man? Well, was - he expired during the time frame in question."

"Unfortunate."

"Yes, it is. At any rate, the day after the failed attempt with the test subject, her lover was outside star gazing. Suddenly, a flying saucer appeared and used a tractor beam device to bring him into the ship."

"Interesting. We knew there were life forms out there, but to have this much proof... Are we running a battery of tests to see what how the abduction has affected him?"

"Yes. And get this..."

"He's pregnant."

"Oh, that's rich! Seriously?"

"Seriously. He'll have full pre-natal care. And when the child is born, we will be able to take blood and DNA for testing."

"Excellent. What about the testing for YP-890?"

"Under the circumstances, I think it best we halt testing. We can choose a new test subject later, if we decide to explore that again."

"I'll leave you to it, then. Keep me apprised."

"You know it."

Later that day:

"You have your directions. Halt all work on YP-890. We want nothing to interfere with the development of this child."

"I don't care what you think, Agsded."

"We have conferred, and that is our decision. You aren't questioning that decision, are you?"

"I thought not. I expect a full report next week. We'll also send a crew out to repair the surveillance network and create a new back-up system. I don't want another loss of data should the UFO come back."

"As for the other - you understand what I require of you? Do not fail me in this. It wouldn't be a wise career move."

Ackart; G1

2007-08-21T15:44:00.001-05:00

This family has been cloned from elvish DNA that Canopy found in some ruins. They are not aware of that fact. Full bio-readings will be maintained on them to see if the elvish DNA makes any difference aside from appearance. - R.A.

New beginnings. Always a good thing. My name is Cynthia Ackart. I am the proud mother of three children. My husband, unfortunately, is dead. My children keep me pretty busy, though.

Nathan and Cybil are my oldest - they're fraternal twins. Thaddeus is the littlest one. This is our new home. There was a contest being held by a company that bought up some land to start one of those corporate communities. Cybil's been a bit wild since her father passed, so I thought a change would be good. And, amazingly, we won!

Here's a better shot of us standing outside on the day we arrived. Everyone's a bit scared, but excited.

Almost immediately we had visitors. It's nice to see that everyone is so friendly, here. It's a nice change.

Or maybe they just want our food. Kylie is another contest winner, so we have something in common with her. The other two people are new in town, as well, but they didn't win anything.

One of the neighbors brought their cat, Skye, along. Seeing Cybil with Skye got me to thinking. Maybe getting a pet would be a good idea. It will probably help the kids adjust.

Cybil's a good kid. She's just a bit lost. I think she's not real sure how to handle everything. I miss... *sigh* I will NOT cry. Not any more. I've got to move forward.

Ah, here's the officer from the animal shelter!

We got this little guy, and Nathan decided to name him Ares.

Even Thaddeus thinks having a puppy is a good idea.

Thaddeus is growing like a weed. Here's a picture of him learning to walk.

And bed time. Night-night, sweet boy.

Nathan got a job.

And some new friends.

I don't think this particular friend is a good influence. Grrrr.

More pictures of home life.

Cybil's taken to Ares quite a bit. he's a sweet puppy. And growing like a weed.

Nathan is such a good kid. Thaddeus loves his older brother.

The kids and I try to have at least one a meal a day together. I'm going to have to start work soon. I worry about leaving the kids by themselves. Surely it'll be okay, though.

Sure it will. Here we see Cybil slinking around the house after everyone is asleep.

Doing what?

Ah, yes, sneaking out with the "bad influence".

I'm surprised she's able to stay awake - surveillance shows her returning just before sun-up. Ah, the little dramas of domestic life. - R.A.

Well, I managed to find a job. Thank god!

And Thaddeus had a birthday.

He's going to be a heart-breaker in a few years.

Thaddeus isn't the only one who had a birthday. Ares grew up, too. My god. They told us at the pound that he was a small dog! And what is he? I've never seen those markings before. I know - he's a pony.

Between Cybil and Nathan there are always got people over. The kids are usually good about getting their homework done, though. And Nathan can't dance.

Ares is just a big goof. And he adores Thaddeus.

Thaddeus wants to be an animal trainer when he grows up.

Cybil met a boy. Evidently it's getting serious. I didn't find out about this for a while, but he's been coming by the house after school.

At least he's not the bad apple that other kid is.

But, we do have a different problem.

Evidently, Cybil decided to meet him in her pajamas! And stayed in them all day! Which isn't good when you have fair skin. Plus for other reasons. I don't know WHAT she was thinking. But the repercussions weren't pretty.

I don't think I've ever seen burns like this.

Angry and painful looking. I helped her get in a cool bath and spread Aloe over the burns.

She's going to have to stay home from school a couple of days - she's running a fever and can hardly move.

I guess I knew it was going to come to this.
"Cybil, honey, we need to talk..."

Roanhorse; G1

2007-08-03T22:15:00.000-05:00

- This is a rather nice change. No manipulation needs to be done by us for our control families. We merely monitor them and track certain trends in the family and also keep full medical records. But it will be interesting to see what these families do with this "clean slate" they are being offered. -R.A.

Da go Te'. Hello! My name is Billy Roanhorse. I and my family are Apache. Which, if you think about it, is kinda funny that we move to a place named Cherokee Harbor. My wife's been dead a while, but I have a son and two daughters.

You can see them here. There's me, and my son Tommy, and Starling and Kelly.

And that's Tommy's woman, Weatherly, and their daughter, Jasmine. Weatherly's got funny ideas about names, but then you see what her folks named her.

To those who come after - we were living out on the res in Arizona. Things were looking kinda bleak, and my old bones were tired. But you know, Sky Father and Earth Mother provide. Tommy entered a contest for some big company that was building a town, and he won a house. A mighty fine looking house, too. So I am trying to look at this as a second chance for all of us. It will be good for Roanhorses to go to nice schools and have good jobs.

Folk seem friendly enough, here. Our first day we had some neighbors stop by. The woman there in the front of the picture is Kylie Kennard. But let me show you the rest of the family.

This is my daughter Starling. She's always thinking of ways to make money. Money, money, money. I don't understand her, sometimes, and I worry that she doesn't honor our traditions enough.

Here she is at the coffee shop in town, serving people coffee. I don't really approve of that, but , well... she earned enough money doing that to buy beds for all of us. That house is nice, but it wasn't furnished.

This is my other daughter, Kelly.

She's always talking to someone. She don't care who it is, really. If they listen, she talks.

Here's a picture of Weatherly and Tommy. Smart as Coyote, that one, and she loves my son. She's good people - Tommy did good to get her to marry him. 'Specially seeing how his main goal in life is to have a good time, seems like.

See - always playing. That's Melinda Warwick that just chucked a water balloon at him.

Kelly's surprised me since we've moved. She's constantly reading cookbooks now. She's got some idea about being a chef.

She's also been helping with Jasmine.

Not that I'm biased, but I do have some good lookin' kids and a good looking grand-baby.

"Tarleen, tell me story?"
"Ha, ha! Okay, Jasmine. What story do you want to hear?"
"Tell me 'bout Bat!"
"You sure you don't want to hear about how the birds selected a leader?"
"No! Bat!"
"Okay, okay. Come sit in my lap.

Once, long ago, Coyote thought he would take a wife, but did not know whom to choose.

"Why not take the wife of Hawk Chief?" Bat said, for Hawk Chief was missing, and had not been seen for many days.

But Hawk Chief returned and became angry with Bat for giving such ill-considered advice. He picked Bat up and slung him with full force into a juniper bush.

Bat hung upside down in the bush, caught by his long, pointy-toed moccasins. He twisted and he turned, but however much he struggled, he could not get free.

And from that time on bats hang upside down - even when they sleep."

"Hee hee. Silly Bat!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, looks like my girl does still remember she's Apache. I'm glad I caught her telling Jasmine folk-tales.

But time flies. It's already Jasmine's birthday. We didn't really have a party, but Starling's friend Elle came home with her after they got off work. They both work for the same fancy lawyer. Elle's good people, but spirits say the shadows are ridin' her hard.

And here's Jasmine after she finished her cake. She looks so serious.

Which is funny, because she's always playing.

And she loves to dance.

Especially with her daddy.

Speaking of daddies, Weatherly thinks she's pregnant again. She's got that "feelin'", she says. Seems like we need more kids about like we need a damned hole in the head. Everybody's excited, though, and well... heh. Nothin' wrong with more kids, I guess.

But yeah, it's official. And she's huge. This is her at the end of her second month, I think, and she looks like she's carryin' a buffalo around.

And you'd think, since she's done this before, she wouldn't be carryin' on so. Not that I'd tell her that. That's a good way for a man to get hurt.

But I guess it was worth it. Meet my grandson, Gavin. I guess that ain't so bad. We got another boy, now, to carry on the Roanhorse name.

And, er, a girl, too, Gabriel. Well. No wonder Weatherly was so big, and no wonder she had a bit of problems with the birth. That's my girl, though. Told ya she was a strong one.

Twins. Coyote's laughin' at me, I know it.

Kelly and Starling got to talking and have decided that with the house being full to bustin', now's probably a good time for them to set out on their own.

They're both good girls. They been savin' up money and Kelly got a townhouse a couple of miles from here, and Starling's just a couple of blocks over.

I think Weatherly is going to take it hard. She's used to havin' the other women folk in the house. I hope she ain't too lonely.

Well, that's about all I can write for now. My damned arthritis is actin' up again and makin' my knuckles hurt. I'll try to write more in a couple of weeks.

Mactans, Elle - Generation 1 (part 1)

2007-07-28T20:33:00.000-05:00

Hello, Diary!
You know, considering that I won a house, you'd think I'd be smiling in this picture. But noooo. It's the "official" picture they're taking of all the winners, so since it'll be in the newspaper and all, Murphy's law. I look like a robot. Peh.

But - I DID win a house! Unbelievable. The last thing I "won" was a one-month membership to a health club. But I know they give those to everyone just to try to get you to join. Anyway, the town seems nice enough. It's fairly small, because it's new. How on earth is a town new, you may ask? I asked the same darned thing! Turns out it's one of those things you read about lately where corporations are buying huge parcels of land and making towns. I guess it makes sense, but I don't get all of it, that's for sure.

Anyway - it seems like a nice place. These three people stopped by to welcome me - they all won houses, too! Let's see - that's Cythia Ackart that I'm talking to, and then the two hotties in the background are Tommy Roanhorse and Jason Kennard. Shame they're married. I'm not sure how serious they are about it, though.

I went ahead and fixed us all cheese subs for lunch. My cooking skills are a bit - lacking - but they looked impressed. Good thing nothing actually had to be cooked, or I might have been in trouble. I could feel Tommy checking me out, too. Always good to know that you still "got it", even if the person doing the looking doesn't plan on doing anything more than looking :-)

After lunch we all headed back outside. Nothing like a water balloon fight in the summer to cool off!

Heh. Cynthia wasn't quite quick enough and Jason managed to pelt her. She was a good sport about it, though. I really like her - she's sweet.

Later that night, some other people invited me downtown with them. I was hoping to meet someone, so I figured networking isn't a bad thing, right? Right!

More proof that I "got it". Hey - when you're hot, you're hot!

OH! I almost forgot to mention - I met a guy! His name is Gabe, and he's SOOOOO cute. He's really, sweet, too. This is NOT a picture of Gabe. Gabe's a little taller than me, red hair, and a body that's just dreamy.

Must... work... off... dinner. Cripes. I never used to worry about maintaining my figure. Ever since I've moved here, though, I've had an obsession with working out. Oh, well - getting in shape isn't a bad thing, and once I get a job I'll probably have other things to occupy me. But I AM getting a killer set of abs out of the deal.

Funny that you should say that, my dear. Ah, yes. The subject is generally friendly, somewhat shallow, has exhibited behaviors of kindness, and appears to not really have a mean bone in her body. She also seems to be intelligent, so the affects of YP-890 should be easy to spot. The increased desire for physical fitness is definitely a manisfestation of the drug. -R. Agsded

Dear Diary,
I don't know what's been wrong with me, lately. I've been feeling very depressed, and not myself.

I've also been having splitting headaches, and feelings of... blind rage. It's weird, and a bit scary.

I wonder if I ought to go see a shrink?

I don't like feeling this way - like I could hurt somebody.

What is WRONG with me?!?

Subject appears to be resisting the control protocols. Interesting. Subject was instructed to invite over the man she met her first night, Gabe Hanby. He'll do as an initial trial. - R.A.

I'm waiting on Gabe to get here. I remember calling him, but it was so strange. It was as though I was watching someone else do it, as opposed to doing it myself, if that makes sense? And my head is just throbbing right now.

It's so... surreal. I remember being excited waiting for Gabe to get here. That little spark of "what if", when you first meet someone, you know? When you're wondering where things might go. But now - now I just feel empty.

Gabe doesn't understand why I seem so distant. So cold. So - angry.

And he's not going to put up with it. Or that's what he said - that he doesn't have time for game-playing.

I don't want to play games, either. I like him. He likes me. That's enough, isn't it? No! It's not enough. He shall learn! He WILL pay!

What am I saying?!? What am I thinking?

We kiss, but it's bitter-sweet. I don't know what's the matter with me, but I'm not right. I think Gabe knows it, too.

What! This is not the results we expected. The subject is fighting the effects of YP-890. The control protocols must be strengthened. Subject was given the terminate protocol for the target and did not carry out instructions. This is not acceptable. - R.A.

All I can do is think of Gabe, and wonder at what is going on. I'm scared to see him, but I'm yearning for him for some reason. But that's strange, too. We don't really know each other. I don't understand. But I find myself calling him again, inviting him over. And he accepts.

I'm drawn to him. I don't understand it. And he's drawn to me.

Certain passages of subject's record has been marked for deletion from her copy. I think it would be unwise to allow her to pore over all of her writings. Conditioning and control protocols are not functioning as they should. Precautions are being taken until we have subject functioning correctly. - R.A.

Good morning, Diary!
Today is a new day! And I have a new job! I'm working as a paramedic. How cool is that? To be able to help people, and save lives? I'm very excited. It pays well, and if I perform well, the local hospital will pay for night classes!

Only - I lost my job. I didn't even make it 'til noon. I started getting my headaches again, and I just couldn't function. It was awful. I made so many mistakes. Luckily, nobody died because of me - but I don't blame the hospital for firing me. I'm such a failure.

Gabe came over when I told him about it. It was so nice. he just held me, and for a while I could believe that everything is all right.

Dear Diary!
No luck in getting a new job, yet. Things are pretty miserable. Money is running low and I don't really know what to do. This was a bright spot, though. This little guy stopped by the house. He's beautiful, and he was friendly, too. No collar, and he's kind of skinny, so I'm thinking he's a stray. I went ahead and put some food out for him. Maybe he'll start hanging around :-)

Dear Diary,
I don't know what to do lately. My headaches are nearly constant, and I'm getting compulsive about certain things. I've become such a neat freak, in addition to a gym rat. Well, not that I can go to a gym, but I still work out at home all the time.

Dear Diary,
Cynthia's turned out to be a good friend. I think, sometimes, if it weren't for her, I'd go stark-raving mad.

Dear Diary,
It's starting to get cold out. Just a nip in the air. Interestingly enough, this woman stopped to ask for directions. We got to talking and seemed to hit it off fairly well. After about 15 minutes of talking, I mentioned that I was looking for work. She said her brother was looking for a secretary and that she'd have him call me! Yay!!!

Dear Diary,
It's been so many days since I met the girl with the lawyer brother. Watching the snow fall is just a reminder that time is passing by and still nothing is happening, except that I feel more and more alone.

Thankfully, Gabe keeps me grounded. We've been spending a lot of time together, and he's been such a rock. I don't know what I'd do without him. I think....

that tonight's the night.

And I think that he might be the one :-) Maybe everything will work out, after all!

Oh - and did I mention that the lawyer called? And that I have a job? And I haven't had a headache in weeks. Please, oh, please, oh please, let today go well...

Gentry, Corbin - Generation 1 (part 1)

2007-07-25T12:41:00.000-05:00

Ah, yes. Today is the first day in which I will be observing my subjects. Most exciting! The rest of this entry (and in subsequent entries), I will merely re-produce the words directly as reported by the the individuals, though I will occasionally comment upon a happening.
- R. Agsded, head scientist of the Cherokee Harbor Project

It seems sort of weird to be writing in a journal, but for some reason I find it comforting. I will try to set forth things in a bit of an orderly fashion, in case these writings are someday of interest to my family. I suppose the first question to address is how I came to be sitting on my lawn in the rain.

Well, I had a bit of bad luck in the city. First, the newspaper I worked for was bought out (This and the following events as regards to setting up the experiment were engineered by Canopy Sim-Corp. - R.A.), and even though they assured everyone that it was a friendly acquisition, of course they made cuts immediately. The copy-boy was one of the first to go. Which is okay - except that I was the copy-boy.

That was all right. Well, not really, but I started putting out resumes immediately. Unfortunately, nobody was hiring. I had used up most of my savings and was beginning to get a little desperate, when I was contacted by the mayor of a town named Cherokee Harbor.

As it happens, it's one of those new-fangled "privately owned" towns that are springing up, and as a promotional gimmick they had a sweepstakes in which they were giving away parcels of land. Evidently, I won the largest parcel. Unbelievable! This sort of thing never happens to me. I quickly decided that as strapped for cash as I was, the most expedient thing to do would be to liquidate all of my furniture and use the money for the trip and also to try to get set up as soon as possible.

Oh - as extra luck, I also called and spoke to the Cherokee Harbor Gazette's editor, and they actually have an opening. So I had a job waiting for me when I got here. Unfortunately, my luck ended there - I had barely enough money to get a few odds and ends of furniture, let alone a home.

So - here I sit in the rain. But - it's MINE - and the future is ahead of me!

The subject's resilience is amazing. Even before the XCT-009 has fully taken affect, he has a good portion of drive. Excellent! Although maybe it would have been more telling if he were lazy. Perhaps I should enquire about genetic manipulation. - R.A.

This is a little later in the day of my arrival. Thankfully, it's stopped raining, and some of the neighbors stopped by to welcome me. I'm a bit ashamed of my home - or lack thereof, but nobody seemed to mind. So far everyone has been really friendly to Patton and me. Patton's my dog - you can just see him standing next to the girl in the shorts.

Everyone seemed to appreciate the fact that I made them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and we had fun talking and playing water balloons.

One of the ladies, Cythia, was VERY friendly. Rather shockingly so. She gave me a kiss goodbye. I liked her, but was rather taken aback by the suddenness of it.

Blast! That's a subject from the Ackart control family. After looking into the problem, it seems that a lab assistant reversed the behavior protocol, and so she was attracted to the test subject as opposed to being repelled. Problem has been solved and assistant disciplined. - R.A.

I think I'm going to love this town. Shortly after my neighbors left, a guy called and said he'd heard I was new, and he invited me downtown to play pool with a group of people he was friends with. I decided to go ahead and go - and that wasn't even the best part. One of the waitresses was really cute - April Lewis. I got her phone number and I'm going to call her later in the week.

I wasn't the only one making friends. Patton played with a neighborhood dog that I call "Killer". 'Cuz he's just so fierce looking. Man. I hope all this rain doesn't warp what little furniture I do have.

Today is my first day of work. I didn't sleep much last night - I was a bit too excited, for starters, but not having a bed kind of put a damper on things, too.

But after work, Patton and I both passed out. He's working as a vermin chaser, so he was pretty zonked, too. I'm just so exhausted. Sleeping on the ground is awful, but, well... that'll change soon.

Interesting. Subject is still positive and optimistic even with his financial hardship and lack of creature comforts. - R.A.

Oh. My. God. Look at what I found today! Somebody had thrown this at the town dump. I know it's not much to look at, but it's a BED. An honest to gosh bed. That's my grandma's quilt - but now I have a bed. Sleeping is going to be sooo nice tonight. Oh - must say thanks to my boss - he loaned me his truck so I could pick it up and bring it home.

Subject is still in good cheer. His mood seemed rather forlorn this morning as he left for work, but apparently he is still looking for ways to better himself. - R.A.

Oh!! I also found these little beauties at the dump. It's not much, but they actually grow simoleans. Who says money doesn't grow on trees?

I was right. Best. Sleep. Ever.

Patton's such a a goober. He's got to learn to shake hands for his job, but I swear. I love him, and he's a sweetheart, but sometimes I think I can hear the rocks rattling around in his brain-pan.

Here's a pic of me doing what I do pretty much every night - homework. I'm taking night classes for work - hopefully they'll pay off.

Happy Day!! I got a promotion today, and a bonus! With the bonus, I've got enough money to ask April out. She's such a sweet girl. We've been talking on the phone almost every night, but I've been holding off on asking her out because I want to take her somewhere nice.

And she said yes! Tonight is the night!

I'm a bit nervous, but well - here goes. This girl has gotten in my blood.

And there she is! I'm a bit disappointed that she didn't change out of her work uniform. Well - I'm not going to think about it. She's here, and that's all that counts.

I think she's happy with the restaurant, too. Everyone at work said that Londoste's is the nicest restaurant in town. Thank goodness I've been saving up my money. She's worth it, though.

She's so beautiful. Her honey blonde hair and brown eyes just make me melt inside.

After dinner I asked her to dance, and I think it went pretty well.

I also gathered up my courage for a dip, and decided to try my luck with a kiss.

Nothing on earth prepared me for how sweet her lips are.

I borrowed my boss's truck again and went back to the dump. They've got a lot of old lumber there that's warped, or been gnawed on, but it's free. It's taken me the better part of a week...

but I finally have a roof over my head. It's not much, but it's something. And this is just the beginning. BUT, most importantly, I feel like I can honorably propose to April now. I just didn't feel right about it when I didn't even have a shelter.

Subject has been tireless about finding lumber and putting together the beginnings of a home. Quite amazing, really. -R.A.

Well - here goes. Down on one knee...

Subject's heart rate is extremely high. Hands were perspiring. Every indication of stress in all bio measurements. -R.A.

Looking good, so far. I think that's a happy look.

And - she said YES! Yes, yes, yes. I am the happiest man in the world!

Oh. And as if it couldn't get any better - a guy from work gave me an extra microwave his wife had from college. It's old, but a hot meal is going to be nice!

Oh - AND I got another promotion. The only way to go from here is UP!

Prologue: And So It Begins...

2007-07-22T16:55:00.001-05:00

Somewhere in the vast campus that is Canopy Sim-Corp...

"I'm telling you, these two drugs will be of immense value. We just need to test them appropriately before they're salable."

"Test them how?"

"I propose that we set up a community for our test subjects. The added benefit is that as we develop new product we will be able to test them there, as well."

"Do you realize the amount of capital that's going to use up?"

"Do you realize the amount of capital the results will generate? Don't be short-sighted."

"Fine. We'll also need to set up a control group, and choose a lead scientist."

"Already done. So, we're in agreement?"

"We are."

One Month Later...

From the computer log of Dr. R. Agsded:
Most excellent progress has been made. I have submitted my budget and had it approved, and I have also acquired the land required, as well as setting up my monitoring station and lab. Test subjects and control subjects have been chosen.

The parcel of land that was purchased - we've named our little town Cherokee Harbor.

This is the outside of the lab and control hub. To passer-by it looks like a vacant property that just refuses to sell.

However, there is a basement area that allows for the monitoring of subjects as well as entering in new control protocols. I have hand-picked my team. Once all of our subjects have arrived, testing can begin.

-------------------
The first test subject is Corbin Gentry. He will be given the drug XCT-009. If it performs as expected, it should produce a blood-line that will be extremely hardy as well as mentally... ambitious, I suppose, is the best way to put it. It will, indeed, be interesting to see the sort of punishment this subject and his offspring will be able to endure. Care will need to be taken to ensure that his blood is not diluted with other residents', although the effects of that will also be documented.

Our second test subject is Elle Mactans. A beautiful young lady, it will be intriguing to see how YP-890 manifests in her. It is our hope that administration of the drug can be used by the military to either create assassins or to induce murderous rages in enemy populations.

What follows are our control groups.

Family: Roanhorse
Heritage: American Indian
Members:
Billy - male elder, Pleasure, Libra
Kelly - female adult, Popularity, Cancer. Daughter of Billy.
Starling - female adult, Fortune, Aquarius. Daughter of Billy.
Tommy - male adult, Pleasure, Capricorn. Son of Billy.
Weatherly - female adult, Knowledge, Aquarius. Wife of Tommy.
Jasmine - female toddler, Unknown, Sagitarius. Child of Tommy and Weatherly.

Family: Ackart
Heritage: Elvish *
Members:
Cynthia - female adult, Knowledge, Pisces
Cybil - female teen, Family, Virgo. Daughter of Cynthia.
Nathan - male teen, Popularity, Libra. Son of Cynthia.
Thaddeus - male toddler, unknown, Aries. Son of Cynthia.

* Elvish DNA was recovered from project YH92-01. This family will bear close observation to see how their DNA functions with non-elves in the future.

Family: Warwick
Heritage: Mixed
Members:
Miles - male elder, Pleasure, Leo.
Melinda - female elder, Romance, Gemini. Wife of Miles.
Alyna - female child, unknown, Sagitarius. Granddaughter of Miles and Melinda.
Aimee - female child, unknown, Taurus. Granddaughter of Miles and Melinda.

Family: Zhao
Heritage: Chinese
Members:
Lanfen - female teen, Romance, Sagittarius.

Family: Kennard
Heritage: South African
Members:
Evelyn - female elder, Romance, Pisces
Jason - male adult, Pleasure, Aquarius. Child of Evelyn.
Kylie - female adult, Family, Capricorn. Wife of Jason.
Riley - female child, unknown, Cancer. Child of Jason and Kylie.

----------------------

Each of the heads of household has been given a journal to write in. The only interference with the control families is in the construction of the journals. The pages have been infused with untraceable amounts of a drug which compels the subjects to write in it. Hopefully as the years go on, it will be a tradition for the heads of household to keep family records, although the drug will still be administered. Also of note, each of the homes in Cherokee Harbor has extensive surveillance equipment installed so that we may monitor them. Subjects should start arriving tomorrow. Testing is scheduled to begin immediately following.