Dear readers, tonight we bring you the antagonist from a world where fear is the ultimate weapon, one man’s rebellion could change everything—or destroy it all.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

Before the tragedy, I grew up in Manhattan. The streets were riddled with peasants, drifters, and the like. I always pitied them. I eventually signed up for a classified doctrine that would help me pay my rent. Little did I know, it was nothing short of a brainwashing experiment. I once  saw a movie, before The Great Degeneration, about a man named Jason Bourne, who underwent a similar story: I was told that I was to forget my own name, and it took a while before I realized that I needed to join the TRITE Movement, which indoctrinated me into combat. The rest, as they say, is history.

Did you have any favorite toys as a child? Any cherished memories?

When The Great Degeneration occurred, and I cannot say I fully understand what happened, I was left on the streets. I recall a drifter handing me a vial of a compound known as LSD. This, unfortunately, was my only toy, and then all went blank. Three years later, I woke up in the midst of a world that had changed. Manhattan was now enclosed by a great wall, and TRITE ran the streets. Once again, my memory is foggy, but I do remember the fear I felt when I shot my mother and father. It was the day I swore off fear, and began to climb the ranks of the TRITE Movement, where I soon became a Lieutenant.

What do you do now?

Well, my friend, I am dead. Whether I like to believe it or not, after the death of Admiral Sathers in a car explosion, I rose to the ranks as the new leader of New Manhattan. There was a boy named Daniel, who I later found out had escaped the encompassment of the wall. For now, I will wallow in shadow, until the bombs drop once more, and I am rebirthed. From there, I shall continue to seek revenge on those who hazed me. I do not know when, but I know my body is preserved. I will find a way to live again…

What can you tell us about the escape of Daniel Sathers?

When word got out about the escapee, I had no choice but to hunt him down. Exiting into The Outskirts beyond the wall, I hunted that boy, Daniel, as he was a catalyst. He was the first to ever deny The Sickness, or what some call: “fear.” He found his way into a forbidden land, and he met a former TRITE Officer named Donnie, who seemed to be an accomplice. The chase ended in a bloody battle where the Twin Towers once stood, and Mile 9 was, unfortunately, where I decided to turn back and head to the city again. The only thing is, by the time I got there, rebellion had begun. I will forever remember the bullet that cost me my final breath. Thankfully, TRITE has ways of bringing the dead back. I will await it.

What did you first think when The Great Degeneration occurred?

I was the first member recruited under the sanction of Admiral Sathers, who taught me how Sick this city was. I recall having no recollection of what happened. All I remember is, by the time I so much as remembered my own name, the wall had been built, and gun-welding TRITE officers were patrolling the streets hunting down The Sick. I took it with a grain of salt, and because I firmly believe that indeed, The Sick do not belong here, The Great Degeneration – when the city fell still, and a new regime arose – was a catalyst for change. However, with change comes a responsibility “To Revolt In The Evolved.”

What was the most surprising thing about Daniel’s escape?

I was not expecting Daniel to survive. Though “scary” is not a term I can understand, as TRITE Officers are taught to feel no fear (if we did, we would be shot), I will say this much: the notion that someone – a boy, no less – was able to pull the trigger in the name of justice, and I respect, and loathe, and hate that. Scariest moment? When I lost the control we had spent so much time trying to build against The Sick.

What is the worst thing about The Sickness?

The Sickness, you see, is a necessary evil. It keeps us in control. The worst thing about it is, we can all understand the psychology behind fear. It is a hardwired mechanism in all of us, and I guess the most  frightening thing about it is, I cannot feel fear anymore. All I feel is numbness. The Sickness breathes in the weak; I am no weak man. However, I must admit, I miss feeling the rush of adrenaline; I miss emotion.

What is the best thing about it?

It is control. Control is power, and power is essential to survival.

Tell us a little about your friends. What does the TRITE Movement think about that?

Admiral Sathers raised me. When I rose in power, his death was the first time I felt something. However, friends? I do not have any. No TRITE officer is allowed to engage in friendship, for it evokes the very emotions we are trying to contain. Without friends, we are free; we are our own men; we are essentially immortal, despite the death imposed upon me in utter rebellion. That damned boy caused my death.

Why do you hate The Sick, and what will you do when you arise again?

I hate The Sick. They are so weak. Those who fear, those who feel, those who wish to advance rather than follow…they bring out a demon in me I cannot quite understand. I hate myself, more than anything, and that  hate fuels my power. When I am rebirthed, I will rise up against New Manhattan (or what remains of it after the second bombing). I do hope that time comes soon, but for now, I will await my fate.

What’s your favorite drink, color, and relaxing pastime?

Favorite drink: Rum. Favorite color: black. Relaxing pastime? I guess murder.

What does the future hold for you when you are rebirthed?

I will arise one day, and when that day comes, I will seek vengeance upon my enemies. I will rebuild the TRITE Movement, and we will move onto the next city, and the next, and the next, until the entire world knows how dangerous The Sickness truly is. It can flourish all it wants, but I am in charge now! I will rule.

Can you share a secret with us, which you’ve never told anyone else?

A secret? Well, I’m not quite authorized to say. If I say it, I will never arise again. Before my death, however, I must admit: I have never once told anyone about my past. This, mind you, is more-or-less because I cannot remember a darned thing. All I remember is the hatred I felt when I was left for dead, in the name of an uprising. So, secrets? Again, if I were to tell you the horrors of TRITE, I would be reborn, tortured, outcasted, and sentenced into a thousand years of darkness, as will my children.

Secrets are for cowards; truths are for saints.

Ryan W. McClellan learned a lesson from his grandfather at the age of 5: “Take that rage and put it on a page.” From early on, McClellan has been writing short stories and became officially published in 2010 with his debut story: “Through Jaded Eyes.” McClellan contributes to Medium.com and Forbes.com and has always been a writer at heart. In his spare time, he practices Ju Jitsu and works as a Digital Marketing Specialist and a Marketing Consultant through his firm: Circle 5 Books.

You can find Lieutenant Jameson on the pages of Through Jaded Eyes.

Browse our archives for past interviews, or follow the site by email (bottom-right) to know immediately when your new best-book-friend makes an appearance.