Multi-Character Interview - Matt Myklusch - The Secret War

MULTI-CHARACTER INTERVIEW

MATT MYKLUSCH

THE SECRET WAR

This is a pretty exciting interview for me. I am not interviewing Matt Myklusch or one of the characters, I am interviewing THREE characters. I decided on Jack (the main character), Smart (Jack’s arch enemy) and Stendeval (who is sort of like Yoda).

Jack: Is there any surprising way that you use your power over machines?

Absolutely. It was surprising for me to learn that there are way more machines out there than I ever realized. When I used to think of a machine, I would think of a TV, or an engine, or a computer. Those are all definitely machines, but there are lots of simple machines out there too. Like a see-saw at your school's playground... that's a machine. It's a lever. Or maybe your little brother or sister has one of those Big Wheel Tricycles. That's a machine too. My powers let me control all of those things, and I'm glad there are lots of simple machines out there for me to work with, because I can only control a machine if I know how it works.

Smart: As the smartest man in the world, can you tell me the secret to winning the lottery? Is there a secret potion you are brewing in your lab?

Please. Do try and give me a question that will present me with more of a challenge next time, will you? The winning lottery numbers on any given day can be computed by taking the cube root of 4,345,972 and multiplying that figure by the negative solution to the quadratic equation (substituting 47.23, 819.57, and 3 for the variables, a, b, and c). That number is then subtracted from -412, divided by the final digit of the number Pi. I assumed this was common knowledge.

As for the secret potion I may or may not be brewing in my lab, the experiments currently being conducted in SmartCorp's labs, and the details of those experiments, are the exclusive property of SmartCorp. No information about them may be disseminated or distributed in any way, shape, or form, without the express written consent of SmartCorp.

Stendeval: What do you think of Yoda from Star Wars?

I'm a great admirer of Yoda's. We have never met, but I am very familiar with his work. In addition to watching those documentaries on his work with the Skywalker family, I also read his book, which I can tell you was aptly named. I learned a great deal about how to be both wise and mysterious from watching Yoda in action, but the mysterious part isn't simply to be difficult. Sometimes it is necessary for a teacher to withhold certain information from a student so that they can discover it on their own. That is when true learning takes place. I have heard some say that lessons learned the hard way are the lessons learned best, but I prefer to look at things in a different light. The lessons we teach ourselves are the lessons we will one day share with and teach others. Young Jack is an excellent student, and I regret that there are some things I must keep from him, but he is not ready to know them. He will be in time. It helps me to know that Master Yoda experienced something similar with the young Skywalker lad.


Jack: What is the most bizarre thing you have seen since coming to the Imagine Nation a year ago? Who is the most bizarre person or creature?

The most bizarre thing I've seen so far is the section of town I live in. Cognito. It's filled with nothing but hideouts and secret lairs for all kinds of heroes and villains. Every day, the streets shuffle like puzzle pieces and rearrange themselves into a new pattern so that everything stays hidden. It's crazy, but somehow everyone always knows how to find *their* hideout every day, even it gets moved to the other side of town while they are out.

The most bizarre person I've met has to be Jonas Smart. He doesn't have a heart, and that was his choice! A long time ago, he found out there was a problem with his hear, so he had it amputated so that he wouldn't end up with a heart attack. He keeps the blood moving through his body using magnetic implants and an iron-rich diet. Crazy, right? I couldn't believe that when I first heard that about him, but now that I've gotten to know him a bit, it definitely explains a lot.

Smart: What did you think of Jack when you first met him? Has he always been an evil Rustov spy in your mind?

You say that as if there is some other way to see him. Obviously, when I first met Jack, I thought of him as what he is-- a Rustov infected child with no hope to live. Whether or not he intends to spy on the Imagine Nation is immaterial. The Rustov parasite inside him is watching and listening to everything he says, and sooner or later it will take him over. That's just a fact. Better to put Jack down now, before he harms anyone. I'm quite certain I could study his remains and find out how he managed to stave off the Rustov infection so long. I could use that information to find a cure, , but no... he doesn't want to donate his body to science. He wants to go on living. Mark my words, that boy's selfishness is going to be the Imagine Nation's downfall.

Thank you to Matt Myklusch for putting this interview together.