Evan Michael Tanner

The internet is a wondrous place, ain't it?  There's just all sorts of things that a fellow can learn on there.  Especially if he's got a drive to learn, a dedication to a cause, and a lot of time on his hands.

I had all three.  Actually, I even had a bit more than that.

I've always been interested in learning, reading and fiddling with anything I could get my hands on.  When I was young, I used to creep back downstairs after my parents tucked me into bed.  There might not have been internet, but there were books and screwdrivers and my dad's old soldering iron.  Not everything made it back together in quite the same way that it had arrived, but it all still worked.  And my parents, so well-meaning in their intentions, never noticed the differences.

A dedication to a cause?  I had a dedication to many causes.  Every cause I found on the internet, in books, in the backs of magazines.  They all spoke to me, they all called out for help and participation.  Who was I to turn away?  So I enlisted everywhere, wrote back to pledge my support, swore that I would fight the good fight for every cause I came across.

As for time, well, I already alluded to that.

It never bothered me much.  Maybe I should have gone to see a doctor, a sleep counselor, a specialist, a shrink.  But what would they have done?  At worst, they would have turned me away with no aid.  At best, they might have found a change, some way to make me fall dead for eight hours every night like the rest of the world.

Maybe I have that best and worst backwards.

The point is, I'm perfectly happy with my extra time.  Like I said, it gives me time to learn.

And oh, there are so many end points that I can see, so many uses for all that I've learned!  Even before the internet, I knew about a lot of things that men would probably prefer to keep silent.  But now, there's no limit to my knowledge.  And I astonish even myself at how much I can cram into this noggin of mine.

Right now, I'm just relaxing.  There are a lot of people looking for knowledge, people willing to pay just about any price to get their hands on what they seek.  And they don't usually say no to a finder's fee when a helpful fellow is willing to point them in the right direction.

But someday, I'm sure that I'll be in demand.  Sure, I keep my work quiet, but I know that I'm on the radar of some powerful forces.  Hell, I'm watching them at the same time.  I generally just play them off against each other, keeping my distance at the center.  Waiting.

Because I know that someday, they're going to need a man with skills.  A man with knowledge.  A man who doesn't need to spend a third of his time lying down on a mat with his eyes shut.

And I'll be waiting for them to come knocking.  What's one more cause to add to my list, after all?  They will request my aid, and I will happily give it to them.

For a price, of course.