Chapter 4
Thirteen levels below ground and four rows interior laid the trade school eye piece workshop. Technicians practiced making repairs and performed adjustments and implants for reduced prices, as they sometimes made mistakes. A cheap white and blue light illuminated the doorway. Jan sat on a counter as she fidgeted with tools an her eye piece. Paul took bites of a bread roll between complaints about the food and thanks for Jan in turns.
He was trying to make himself as unaware as possible of the heavy equipment being fitted to his face. The technician removed the machine and replaced it with another one. “This smells foul” Paul said. “Really really awful. Why are we doing this again?” Jan smirked and responded, “Oh I don't know. For a whim.” She had decided that as long as she was taking care of someone who seemed to be from an historical film, she may as well act as if she were part of the same movie.
She had been unable to detect Paul's master plan in the past hour and was beginning to suspect that he had none. Jan was sure the events of the day had knocked her score beyond help and the knowledge was oddly freeing. She felt she might as well enjoy the inevitable journey to whichever prison or lunatic cell she was now destined. Something about Paul made it difficult for her to resent him for her predicament.
He smiled and chuckled nervously. The technician was bringing a series of small drills toward his right eye. Paul inhaled sharply and clenched his fists. “Wait. Wait wait wait-wait-wait-wait” he said, panicking. Then he screamed and kicked his feet out. The technician drew back slightly and looked in confusion at the patient. The technician asked,“What does DGW3837280 say?”, in the universal code. Paul was having trouble breathing. He blurted “Stop” in universal code and turned to Jan, his nutritionally enhanced bread forgotten on the floor.
“Jan,” he pleaded, “ Is this absolutely essential? I mean, can't I just do everything manually?” Jan let concern show in her eyes and tried to hide her amusement over his small tantrum. “No, I don't think so, Paul. It is most efficient to have a mount imbedded in the temple of the forehead.” she said. “Screw Efficiency!” Paul shrieked. He turned to the technician and chopped out a phrase in the universal code. He had a very bad accent. It translated to “Alternative to eyepiece?!”. The technician said curtly, “no” and lifted a jar of what looked like melted crayons and glue.
Paul looked around nervously. “What does that do? What is it for? Tell me Jan!” Jan jiggled her eye piece in her hands and brought it to her face. “It is a … what is the ancient English word...anesthesia, antiseptic,” she said, stumbling over the words as she listed them “calcium nutrient, moisturizer...” “Moisturizer?!” Paul interjected, shreiking. “Relax, Paul, really. Its ok” Jan soothed, “ Think of it as a … uhh... what's the word... torture... no. tack, tackgoo. Thats it. Think of it as a tackgoo or ear piercing or something. Women and men pierced their ears throughout human history for the sake of improving appearance. You can handle this, and it is much more functional.” Paul jumped a few times but tried to hold still through the procedure. “Tattoo, tattoo” he said to himself like a mantra.
Paul woke up feeling woozy. He was laying on a table and there was a clear and blueish lens in front of his right eye. It had a scrolling display that twitched and changed whenever he blinked his eyes. The eye piece wasn't actually touching his eye, but it came very close.
“I feel like the borg” He mumbled. Jan said excitedly, “Ooh I get the reference! Star Trek, right! You are the only other person I know who is interested in this stuff. Well, other than the teacher. But they treat everything analytically.” She paused for breath, “I suppose I am to ask how you are feeling? Not very good I expect. You fell right to the floor, luckily the technician had just finished inserting the mount. You won't have to do that again for at least a few .. well I guess the conversion is years, isn't it?” Paul had no idea Jan was so talkative. His mind was struggling to keep up with her. “I feel gross” he moaned.
Jan put her hand on his and said quietly, “ok. We can sit here for awhile. The eye pieces aren't synced up online yet, so you don't have to worry about getting up in an efficient amount of time.” Paul wasn't quite sure what that meant. “ What the hell is an efficient amount of time?”
Jan sighed. “ It varies,” she said, “but for eye piece adjustments, it is about 5 minutes and 22 seconds.” Paul concentrated on not moving his arms, now he could feel them again. He knew if he let them go of their own free will, the eye piece would be history in far less than 5 minutes and 22 seconds. “Its nice to know I have a solid number to compare myself to on even recovering from operations” He remarked sarcastically. Jan frowned. “Well,” she said, “If it makes you feel better, you had an installation, not just an adjustment, and everyone gets installations when they are still infants, when it doesn't hurt so much.” There were a few moments of silence where Jan resumed tinkering with her eye piece to avoid feeling awkward. Paul groaned and took a deep breath. He wiggled his feet and when he felt secure he wouldn't pass out, he sat up. “Hey,” he said, a bit more strength in his voice now, “Why does everyone keep score?”
Jan turned towards him and then turned away. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to use herself as an example of the downside of scores. “ I got you something” Jan said, changing the subject. She handed Paul a nutrition bar. He opened it and cautiously took a bite, worried about the bitter taste. “hey!,” He said in surprise, “Its Chocolate!. How'd you get that?” Jan looked down at a screen which was next to a holder for her eye piece. “ Be quiet. Wait...” she said, “ There! I hacked the system. I've opened up a blind window. We can talk in this room privately. The technician will only see it as a standard memory reboot error. Your act isn't fooling me. Of course you know universal code and why we keep score. You don't have to go to such extreme limits to prove you don't.” Paul started to interrupt, but Jan drew herself up and looked him intensely in the eye.
“You know someone in the government, that man who dropped you off this morning. I wasn't dreaming. Maybe you being here is all an experiment, destruction, or whatever but I'm willing to make a trade. I gave you chocolate. I can translate for you if you really don't know universal code. I'm assigned to help you adjust. If you want to keep that front intact, you will have to have my cooperation. If you can use your government contacts to bring my score up to what it should have been if you hadn't intervened, then I'll help you. Otherwise you can fend for yourself and have a splendid career in taste-testing foods grown in radioactive soil for all I care.” Paul was astounded. “You're bribing me?”he asked. Jan looked ashamed but answered defiantly, “yes”.
Her eyes widened as she looked at the ceiling. There was a display showing a blue circle slowly fading away. Jan whispered “fuck” and glared at Paul. “Be quiet!” She warned. The circle faded away completely and Jan waited tensely. A few seconds later the technician walked in. “ There was a computer reboot. Ineffective repair work? Assistance required?” he asked, looking at no one in particular. Jan stepped forward and stood in front of him. “Mistake in repair. Correction being carried out. Assistance not required at this time,”she said mechanically in universal code. The technician spared a confused glance towards Paul before turning out the door. “What's going on?” Paul asked. Jan ignored him and fidgeted with a manual computer screen in the corner a the room. It had a side counter with an array of tools and replacement parts, each labeled with a price.
Paul was having a bit of trouble adjusting his focus and the strain was making him dizzy again. He settled on squinting his right eye shut and faced Jan to speak. That seemed to be the procedure. “Jan!” he called, “what is going on? Look at reason- if I were here with ulterior motives, I'd be able to blend in. I really need your help, but I can't do anything for your score. I don't see why it is such a big deal, anyways.” Jan glanced up at the ceiling, which now had a large illuminated circle displayed on it. She regarded Paul cautiously. “You answer my questions,” she commanded.
Paul sighed. “I'm sorry, but I can't help you. My dad sent me here as punishment. I was exiled from the commune--” Jan interrupted him, her eyes on the ceiling. “ You. Will. Answer. My. Questions,” she growled. Paul was surprised. He didn't realize she had more than a monotone voice setting. Paul stuttered, “o-ok”and waited for the onslaught. She turned to him and asked in universal code, “ How did you come here?” Paul struggled to understand for a few seconds. “Barge transport”, he answered with some effort. Jan glared at him. She quickly looked up at the ceiling again and demanded in universal code, “Where did you come from? Origins? Orders for your mission?” Paul flinched and answered, “ I don't understand.” Jan whispered, “impossible” under her breath in Ancient English. Paul heard it and perked up. “No, not impossible. I'm from a different place and ghoster code is my second language.” Jan began to answer but the size of the circle was diminishing. She asked instead, with a hint of desperation, “Can you fix my score?”
Paul glanced at the display and the counter of tools. “No, “ he answered, “ but wait!” Jan gripped the edge of the table with the screen on it. “Your eye piece thingymagidjet is broken, right?” he asked. Jan agreed. “But,” she said, “I can fix it, I mean, everyone with a mechanical skills score above 450,000 has to repair their eye pieces personally. I can put it back online when you get me the points I need.” She looked at him impatiently. He wasn't doing anything. “Hurry up, I can't wait all day. Do something!” Paul raised his arms in exasperation. “What do you want me to do!” He realized he still had a chocolate bar in his hand. “How, how did you get this? If your eye piece thing was broken, can't you just do everything manually?” Jan looked at him incredulously. “No. Because it is inefficient and it docks one's score!” Paul thought for a second. “How?” he asked.
Jan threw her hands up in despair and growled. “How what?!” she asked with venom. “How,” repeated Paul, “can a score be docked if everything is done manually? If you control what is recorded?” Jan sighed in frustration and explained, “ When an eyepiece is overdue for a checkup or something, and doesn't measure your score, you have to report everything to a screen, like the one here,” she indicated the screen to which here eyepiece was attached, “and it measures what you've done and takes away a percentage of points based on how long it took you to get the eyepiece repaired.” She crossed her arms and glared at Paul.
Paul smiled. “Why don't you lie?” he asked. “About what you report, why don't you lie?” Jan scoffed. “ Oh please. “If I were to do that, I might as well rig my eye piece to give me a great score forever.” Paul started, “ Wait. Repeat that! Jan. Jan, could you really do that? Hack into the system and cheat it? Then you could fix your score and you'd be free!” Jan sighed, “Well , theoretically, I suppose. But why? You are supposed to earn your score. But a barbarian like you would not know anything about honor or fairness. I've studied Ancient English too, but at least I do not pretend I'm still living in the chaos of the past.” Paul ignored the insult and glanced at the fading circle. He stepped close to her and put his hand on her arm. “You were willing to blackmail me for a false score a few minutes ago, how much honor is that?”he said.
Before Jan had a chance to reply, the circle faded and the technician entered the room again. “I have another appointment now and need this room” he said in universal code. Jan and Paul looked at each other and Jan picked up her eye piece. “But we aren't done” Paul whispered, “ Don't you have to fix your eye piece?” Jan nudged him in the shoulder to get him to shut up. She was halfway across the room when she realized Paul hadn't followed her. She stopped. He wasn't moving. The technician repeated his message. Paul stood still with his arms crossed. “Say please” he demanded. Jan was shocked. “I have another appointment now and need this room” said the technician, confused by the strange utterances of the young man. The technician was very confused and distressed, merely repeating the phrase over and over. Paul was not reacting in an efficient manner.
Jan walked back and dragged Paul out of the room. As the exited the door, Paul's eye piece gleamed and a blue display began tallying numbers.
Slice of life, Museum reviews, and my experiences abroad.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Jan of the Future Chapter 2 and 3
Chapter 2
Jan tried to collect herself as she was dragged along. She wasn't quite sure what had just happened, or if she'd be pulling weeds for the rest of her life. When they reached the landing, the young man paused and she tried to catch her breath. She managed a “Whaaa” before he lunged towards a closing door and stepped inside. They were pressed against the wall next to the door. The class was filled with young children learning universal code. Jan swallowed her questions. She had a terrible feeling in her stomach, as if a frog were trying to jump out of it. She pulled towards the door but the young man did not release his grip on her arm. She didn't know what to do. She felt oddly naked without her eyepiece on, and the young man confused her.
She looked up at him. Most startlingly, he had no eye piece. His hair hung very long into his into his eyes at a most inefficient length. There was something silver hanging off his ear. If it weren't for his grip on her arm, she wouldn't have believed him to be real.
He was twitching oddly, cocking his head and moving his shoulders. He seemed to get slightly taller and then strode to the teacher, with Jan helplessly stumbling along behind him. He bowed his head to the teacher, who ignored him, by some miracle.
Jan noticed with horror that he was trying to interrupt her class. She moaned involuntarily at the idea of how deeply her score had sunk by these actions. Jan was surprised to hear the noise come from herself.
She reflected on the actions which could destroy her chances of teaching Ancient English. Her eyepiece broken, the conspiracy boy and the School Coordinator had seen her up on the wall planters, then missing her required class to interrupt a language class for the younger children. She guessed they were level 1 students. The interruption might decrease their scores. Jan was overwhelmed with guilt. Here she was with some conspiracy spy who was probably going to blow up the school or something. It was as if she were in a simulated excursion malfunction somehow. Perhaps it was all a simulation.
The young man coughed and said, with much effort, a greeting in the universal code. Jan realized he had been speaking in Ancient English before.
The teacher was still, remarkably, ignoring him. After a few moments pause, he turned to Jan and asked desperately, “What am I doing incorrectly? I need to get into this class.” Jan wrenched her arm and he let it go with an , “oops”. Jan started at the incoherent expression. She was missing her own class and interrupting another. She felt rising panic and fear. She would never be so disobedient, so stupid. Her small rule-breakings were all pre-planned and harmless. Her score was, generally, left intact or improved. She looked at the young man again. Though he was wearing a jumpsuit, he behaved like a grunting animalistic human of barbaric times. Jan was at once fascinated and disgusted. “What are you?”, she barked. But of course it was obvious. He must be some sort of agent sent to test the effectiveness and order of the school system, Jan thought. She just wanted to hear him admit it to her, as he had included her in his crimes.
The young man's face relaxed and he dropped his shoulders gently. Then he stuck his hand out at Jan. She reached for it, excited to experience the custom. He shook her hand and said in Ancient English, “ Paul. Can you help me get into this class? I need to improve my universal code.” Jan dropped his hand. This couldn't be a simulation. Her worried flared again about her Score and propriety.
Paul touched her shoulder and said, “Umm.” She figured that anyone who could cause so much destruction must be some sort of agent. The confusion and asking for help must all be an act to gain her assistance. But Jan wasn't so easily taken in as that. He smiled and she squinted her eyes in distaste. Jan whispered,“I'll help you do whatever secret mission you have to do, but only if you answer my questions. I don't have much to loose, thanks to you, but I'll make you pay for that later.”
She glared at him and looked at his jumpsuit to see any bulges for bombs or remote controls or something. His inability to speak universal code fluently must be a guise to gain her sympathy and trust. He had appeared without notice or ceremony. He had been talking to a government official, who had come incognito on a barge, instead of government issue speeders. Jan mulled this over as she critically analyzed the young man. Her attention was briefly caught up on the long hair and oddly balanced look of an eyepiece- free face. The bit of silver in his ear must be some sort of communicator or data-file. Immediate danger, in a classroom of small children, would not come from a data file.
Jan looked for a detonator or container of some kind hiding in the folds of his jumpsuit. She did notice a bulge, but it seemed to be the natural kind. Her face flushed briefly, which startled her, but she tried to appear intimidating. Jan remembered the actions of aggression which she had seen in old movies. She tried to imitate the action and clenched her fists and growled. The young man stepped back in surprise. Jan was thrilled as if she had gotten a bonus score. It had worked. She was triumphant for a very short time, however, because he had tripped as he stepped back and consequently fell into the teacher.
Jan gasped as she realized she would surely be incinerated for aiding the crazy and somewhat incompetent spy. Her dreams of teaching ancient cultures disappeared in the crash of the two people falling over.
Paul apologized and helped the teacher up, who seemed to be broken. She gusted out short yelps of laughter. She became severe upon standing up and stood directly in front of him, about a foot away. She didn't try to talk to him, but mimed instead. Her message was very clear. Paul giggled nervously and timidly backed into a chair at which the teacher was pointing. There was a cubicle station with a screen. He could only see the teacher if he stretched his neck, and it was impossible to see other students when sitting down.
The teacher stood waiting. Jan stepped into position for communication. The teacher leaned in a bit and noticed that Jan's eyepiece was missing. She straightened her uniform and took a deep breath. “ JAN0314772 is assigned to assist DGW3837280 re-assimilate and adjust. Returned from illness-leave. Increase his score to acceptable level in 100 days. JAN0314772 must repair eyepiece and acquire DGW3837280 eyepiece at earliest opportunity. All relevant information is accessible on eyepiece unit.” The teacher pointed to where Paul had sat. He was trying to disturb the student seated next to him. Jan walked over briskly, aware that the teacher would be recording their actions on a manual system to be scored at the end of the day. She was thinking that it could be possible that he had tricked the information on the regional database somehow. She could play along with his ploy for now and figure out his plan. She stood behind Paul and looked incredulously at his attempts to comprehend the system. It didn't seem to be an act. Jan figured she could manipulate his weakness in Universal code to her advantage, once she discovered his plan.
Paul reached back and touched her arm. “hey”, he said. Jan twitched at the touch and maneuvered herself so her face was directly in front of his. His half turned sitting position seemed to discomfort her. Paul gulped and raised his eyebrows then pointed to the screen. Jan looked at the test sheet. “What?” she asked. Paul ducked his head and tried to figure out the technology, remembering that children could use it. He wished for pencils under his breath.
Foreign script and a great deal of numbers crowed the screen. A larger, brightly colored font was in the center. Paul noticed a glass and metal straw by his screen and picked it up. It changed from purple to green when his hand touched it. He held it over the center font and peered nervously over his cubicle at the teacher, who had recommenced chattering to the class in a language he didn't fully comprehend. There were a few words and phrases he had learned and he had taken classes in universal code, but immersion was quite a different matter.
Unsure, he rolled the stick between his fingers impatiently. His screen flashed and moved to a new image, with phrases. Some bits looked familiar. His reading comprehension had been much better than listening. He glanced over at the girl he'd found in the bushes. She regarded him stoically. He turned and tried to smile, holding up the glass straw and shrugging his shoulders. The tool clicked by slight pressure from his grip. He repeated this a few times and noticed an expression of rising horror on the girl's face. He paused and glanced around. Nothing. Jan grabbed his head and pointed it towards the screen. He didn't understand. She put her hand on his face and pushed the hair above his eyes. A line of numbers was whirring in the center of the screen and a row of phrases traced in red glowed menacingly.
Paul figured he had clicked on some wrong answers. He thought it was a bit weird the girl had seemed so horrified. He leaned in to the screen and tried to remember what some of the words meant, so he could accurately answer the next question. He was about to click his tool when he felt his head jerked back. Jan positioned him to look at the ceiling, where his screen was displayed. The tool moved a green dot around the image. Jan took the tool from him and pushed him aside to type something on the screen. She placed his hands on the screen. He glanced down and she jerked his head upwards again. Paul grunted in frustration. “Look”, he whispered, “ I don't know this keyboard by memory, alright?” Jan found herself shaking her head. She really didn't understand. He must be the worst spy in modern history.
She assisted him with the very basics of universal code, explaining things as best she could in Ancient English. He knew some of the code already, a mix of the Ghoster language and calculus. Ghosters were extraterrestrials who had invaded the planet with unprecedented ease, on account of their imperceptibility to human eyes. It took some time working behind the scenes as “Ghosts” who guided key human officials and inventors before they were recognized as a powerful mass of intelligent, and difficult to perceive, entities. The population guided humans to develop many technologies for communication and improved efficiency. Relations were peaceful and the Ghosters discovered an ether-dense planet to which many migrated to in order to colonize.
The class ended before the Paul finished his lesson, and he was frustrated to see the screen go black as the door clicked open. The teacher approached and stood to his left. Jan prodded him to stand up and turned him to face the teacher appropriately. He stood and bowed his head. “I am sorry,” he said in Ancient English “ repeat?” he asked in universal code. The teacher tilted her head quizzically. She moved what looked like a black stone above his screen. She spoke in the universal code, “This has recorded DGW3837280's score for this class. DGW3837280 must improve 85% to meet the class standard. I am deducting 55 points for DGW38372800's misbehavior earlier. Additional work will be transmitted through home screen when DGW3837280 is assigned living quarters. DGW3837280 needs to get an eyepiece.” She turned to Jan and bowed her head slightly. Jan did the same.
Chapter 3
Paul picked up the duffel he had left just inside the door. Jan hadn't noticed it. As the children filed out, the whispered excited to each other and glanced nervously over their shoulders to look at Paul and Jan, who obviously didn't belong in their class. As he exited the classroom, Paul took the lead, and grabbed Jan's hand again so she was dragged behind. They settled on a bench in one of the lower courtyards. He seemed to know the layout of the school well enough, even if he couldn't get through a basic language lesson on his own.
Jan remained silent and stoic. “Look”, he said, “ What is your name? The School Coordinator said some goobledeegook but I bet you have a real name. I mean, you seem like the only person here with any humanity left”. Jan considered her strategy. It would be a good idea to pretend to play into his hands so he trusted her with details of his overall scheme. But she figured it would seem odd if she suddenly changed her mood. She asked her own question to fill the silence and give her time to think. “Why did so many people use 'Look' as an introductory clause. What does it mean? I'm not sure at what you wish me to look or why it would help me better understand your request.” Paul laughed. “ I am so relieved that you speak English. I thought you were mute for a bit there. Look, is there any food?” He glanced around. Students had abandoned the courtyard. He smelled something smoky on the air flowing down one of the halls. “Like that” he said, and tried to stand to pursue the scent. Jan tugged him back to the seat with surprising force. “you did not answer the question” she said warningly. Paul rolled his eyes and pattered on hurriedly, “Its just a turn of phrase, a synonym for examine. 'Seeing things my way' like. Sight was identified with reason and truth when people needed their eyes to prove something, and it just stuck.” He managed to escape Jan's grip but cautiously remained seated. . “You were supposed to be giving me lessons, though”, he said.
Jan reached up to her temple to save to file a video of the agent to be analyzed later. But her fingers brushed the dial button on her temple to no avail. There was no image on her screen. She was reminded again of how she nor the young man sitting next to her had eyepieces on. He didn't even have a mount on his temple. Jan felt like she was in a movie. Rather, like a character from a movie was trying and failing to adjust to her boring, regulated life.
Jan was still confused and felt exhausted by what had happened in the last few hours. Perhaps she had gone mad and her small deviations had taken over and produced an hallucination, a figment of her crazed imagination. She reached out to touch his arm. He was there. Or maybe she only thought he was there. She had an idea. If he was a dream, she might as well be enjoying it. She had shaken hands, why shouldn't she try to copy other customs from historical movies before she woke up? Jan leaned up close to his face quickly and pressed her lips against his. He jerked back and nearly fell off the bench. “Ah,” He squeaked and regained composure, “Nice to -ahem- to meet you too, but ...ah..name?” Jan turned away and brought up her knees and wrapped her arms around them, thinking. If she were crazy, her brain was tricking her into believing that this guy was real. So Jan returned to her theories of why he was at her school.
Jan decided it was time to ask some questions. She wanted to get past the charade and down to the details of his plan. “The teacher said that your name is DGW3837280.” He sighed, exasperated, “Well that isn't much of a name, is it? My real name, my... what do you people call it? My Ancient English name, is Paul. I'm sure you have one too.” He added hopefully. Jan watched him carefully. His mouth pulled up at the corners. For some reason it relaxed her and she echoed his expression. Jan waited. “Look,” Paul said after a while, “ If we are going to be working together, I need something to call you. Something normal, not your weird-ass code thing.” Jan blinked her eye in irritation. She regretted not being able to record his manner of speaking. She stood and warily extended her hand, “ you may call me Jan” she said.
Paul sighed and hopped up to stand beside her. “Well now Jan, that wasn't too hard was it? I'm glad we've been introduced. It seems we both need eyepieces. Oh. And lunch. I think that is much more essential. Where can we get some sandwiches or something?” Jan was perplexed. “Lunch is at 1200 hours” she said. Paul ducked his head and leaned forward, “Yeah. So?” Jan laughed, because she didn't really understand what he was trying to say but she did not want to show an actual weakness. “We cannot eat lunch food unless it is time for lunch break.” Paul just laughed. “Why not? Zombies gonna get us?”he responded. Jan scrunched her eyebrows, trying to understand. Paul seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of words, which he strung along a melodic and rhythmic pattern which was quite entrancing.
“Why can't you eat now? Has your mouth stopped working?” he asked. Jan smiled slightly. “No” Jan answered. “Well,” Paul continued, “Is the food locked up so we can't get it until lunch time?” “No,” Jan responded. She started thinking about it. “I suppose,” she said, “well, I suppose with an old definition of 'lunch' the vague and imperfect kind, it just means a midday meal. I suppose one could bend the interpretation of midday and have lunch at almost any time.” Paul tapped his feet on the ground, “Riiight” he agreed. “And with our eye pieces broken, we don't know the precise time, so...” his tone ended in a long upturn. It was as if he was waiting for Jan to catch up with his line of thinking. He obviously applied to some system of values more relative to ancient cultures than the efficient and strict regulations of the one he was trying to demolish. Jan would have to play along and let him think he was in control until she could gain an advantage. After a brief pause, to make Paul think she was a bit slow, Jan said, “We could have lunch right now!” Paul jumped up happily and raised his hand in front of Jan, “High Five!” he said. Jan bit her lip and lifted a trembling hand. She moved it into a high five and repeated the gesture a few times. Both of them laughed. Jan didn't particularly mind pretending to follow his lead.
Paul started walking and Jan followed. “So,” he asked, “Where does one find some food around here?” Jan stopped. Paul realized she wasn't following him and turned to face her. Jan bowed slightly to initiate conversation, though he was some feet away, “Paul, you must have an eyepiece. It is too irregular to be without one”. Jan thought that if he wanted any chance at succeeding in bringing destruction, he would have to blend in. “After lunch” he interjected. Jan frowned. “Just because we can eat lunch now does not mean that we should. Prioritize and improve efficiency. Scores increase by .34 percent when one consumes the regulated nutrition at the appropriate time.” Paul's face dropped. “you sounded a bit like a robot there with 'prioritize and improve efficiency'. I almost forgot I was marooned in this crazy place for a moment. What if,” he said, pacing, “ What if I don't want to get an eye piece? What if I want to eat lunch now because I am hungry now? Who gives a flip about scores?” He yelled hideously in frustration and pounded his fist into a wall. Jan was surprised by his anger. She walked down the path towards the tram station. There was an eyepiece repair staition on campus, but to get a new lens for Paul, they would need to go to a manufacturer's laboratory. Jan figured he would follow her. If he wanted to communicate with anyone, he'd have to get her help. She even had trouble understanding his way of talking and she was the best student of Ancient English. Jan hoped he would realize that. If he decided to wreak more havoc, at least she would no longer be involved.
Paul punched his fist into his knee. Why did he ever think he wanted this? He wanted to be part of the larger world, the modern world, but it was filled with people who didn't know how to be people. If others were as machine-minded as Jan he was sure he'd go mad. Perhaps take her idea of blowing up the school. Well, he thought, at least that is a similarity between 'them' and 'us'. Paul wasn't sure where he stood between those two categories. He hadn't been completely exiled from the commune. Paul shook himself. It hasn't even been a full day, he thought. His stomach grumbled again and he remembered the last time he ate, which only made him more hungry and homesick. He had no choice. He'd have to stay here for at least 125 days, he might as well try to make the best of it so he'd have stories to bring back.
Paul jogged after Jan and looked for her on the walkways. He had studied a few 3-D maps before coming, but he didn't know much about the customs or daily practices of the people here, like where they distributed food and how one was to acquire it. Paul growled at the thought that he didn't have any money. He almost regretted having grown up in the commune rather than the standard city sections of the planet. But he was glad to have his humanity. He thought of Jan's wooden expressions and shivered to think of growing up like that. He looked around but he couldn't see her and didn't know where she was going. He even peeped in some of the wall planters on the off chance that she hid in them regularly.
Jan turned back and walked quickly. She wondered if he'd make a battle cry, or kill someone. She thought of historical reports which speculated raging hormones and testosterone imbalances as reason for emotional misbehaviors. Back when people still believed in medicine and psychology. It was very difficult to find historical records of these mythic-based practices. The new order had removed them to prevent confusion in modern times. Jan was excited by the amount of emotion he displayed. She was amused by his obsession with lunch. Whatever he was, dream or agent, she would learn more about him when she could repair her eyepiece and access the information the teacher had said had been sent to her.
Paul was glad that the hallways were relatively free of people. Everyone had the same jumpsuits and haircuts. He wondered if he'd even be able to recognize Jan if he found her. They both heard each other's footsteps at the same time. Paul waved and smiled sheepishly. Jan laughed at the incongruity. Such an ancient gesture was out of place in a jump-suited student on her school campus. She approached and guided him to the tram station.
Jan tried to collect herself as she was dragged along. She wasn't quite sure what had just happened, or if she'd be pulling weeds for the rest of her life. When they reached the landing, the young man paused and she tried to catch her breath. She managed a “Whaaa” before he lunged towards a closing door and stepped inside. They were pressed against the wall next to the door. The class was filled with young children learning universal code. Jan swallowed her questions. She had a terrible feeling in her stomach, as if a frog were trying to jump out of it. She pulled towards the door but the young man did not release his grip on her arm. She didn't know what to do. She felt oddly naked without her eyepiece on, and the young man confused her.
She looked up at him. Most startlingly, he had no eye piece. His hair hung very long into his into his eyes at a most inefficient length. There was something silver hanging off his ear. If it weren't for his grip on her arm, she wouldn't have believed him to be real.
He was twitching oddly, cocking his head and moving his shoulders. He seemed to get slightly taller and then strode to the teacher, with Jan helplessly stumbling along behind him. He bowed his head to the teacher, who ignored him, by some miracle.
Jan noticed with horror that he was trying to interrupt her class. She moaned involuntarily at the idea of how deeply her score had sunk by these actions. Jan was surprised to hear the noise come from herself.
She reflected on the actions which could destroy her chances of teaching Ancient English. Her eyepiece broken, the conspiracy boy and the School Coordinator had seen her up on the wall planters, then missing her required class to interrupt a language class for the younger children. She guessed they were level 1 students. The interruption might decrease their scores. Jan was overwhelmed with guilt. Here she was with some conspiracy spy who was probably going to blow up the school or something. It was as if she were in a simulated excursion malfunction somehow. Perhaps it was all a simulation.
The young man coughed and said, with much effort, a greeting in the universal code. Jan realized he had been speaking in Ancient English before.
The teacher was still, remarkably, ignoring him. After a few moments pause, he turned to Jan and asked desperately, “What am I doing incorrectly? I need to get into this class.” Jan wrenched her arm and he let it go with an , “oops”. Jan started at the incoherent expression. She was missing her own class and interrupting another. She felt rising panic and fear. She would never be so disobedient, so stupid. Her small rule-breakings were all pre-planned and harmless. Her score was, generally, left intact or improved. She looked at the young man again. Though he was wearing a jumpsuit, he behaved like a grunting animalistic human of barbaric times. Jan was at once fascinated and disgusted. “What are you?”, she barked. But of course it was obvious. He must be some sort of agent sent to test the effectiveness and order of the school system, Jan thought. She just wanted to hear him admit it to her, as he had included her in his crimes.
The young man's face relaxed and he dropped his shoulders gently. Then he stuck his hand out at Jan. She reached for it, excited to experience the custom. He shook her hand and said in Ancient English, “ Paul. Can you help me get into this class? I need to improve my universal code.” Jan dropped his hand. This couldn't be a simulation. Her worried flared again about her Score and propriety.
Paul touched her shoulder and said, “Umm.” She figured that anyone who could cause so much destruction must be some sort of agent. The confusion and asking for help must all be an act to gain her assistance. But Jan wasn't so easily taken in as that. He smiled and she squinted her eyes in distaste. Jan whispered,“I'll help you do whatever secret mission you have to do, but only if you answer my questions. I don't have much to loose, thanks to you, but I'll make you pay for that later.”
She glared at him and looked at his jumpsuit to see any bulges for bombs or remote controls or something. His inability to speak universal code fluently must be a guise to gain her sympathy and trust. He had appeared without notice or ceremony. He had been talking to a government official, who had come incognito on a barge, instead of government issue speeders. Jan mulled this over as she critically analyzed the young man. Her attention was briefly caught up on the long hair and oddly balanced look of an eyepiece- free face. The bit of silver in his ear must be some sort of communicator or data-file. Immediate danger, in a classroom of small children, would not come from a data file.
Jan looked for a detonator or container of some kind hiding in the folds of his jumpsuit. She did notice a bulge, but it seemed to be the natural kind. Her face flushed briefly, which startled her, but she tried to appear intimidating. Jan remembered the actions of aggression which she had seen in old movies. She tried to imitate the action and clenched her fists and growled. The young man stepped back in surprise. Jan was thrilled as if she had gotten a bonus score. It had worked. She was triumphant for a very short time, however, because he had tripped as he stepped back and consequently fell into the teacher.
Jan gasped as she realized she would surely be incinerated for aiding the crazy and somewhat incompetent spy. Her dreams of teaching ancient cultures disappeared in the crash of the two people falling over.
Paul apologized and helped the teacher up, who seemed to be broken. She gusted out short yelps of laughter. She became severe upon standing up and stood directly in front of him, about a foot away. She didn't try to talk to him, but mimed instead. Her message was very clear. Paul giggled nervously and timidly backed into a chair at which the teacher was pointing. There was a cubicle station with a screen. He could only see the teacher if he stretched his neck, and it was impossible to see other students when sitting down.
The teacher stood waiting. Jan stepped into position for communication. The teacher leaned in a bit and noticed that Jan's eyepiece was missing. She straightened her uniform and took a deep breath. “ JAN0314772 is assigned to assist DGW3837280 re-assimilate and adjust. Returned from illness-leave. Increase his score to acceptable level in 100 days. JAN0314772 must repair eyepiece and acquire DGW3837280 eyepiece at earliest opportunity. All relevant information is accessible on eyepiece unit.” The teacher pointed to where Paul had sat. He was trying to disturb the student seated next to him. Jan walked over briskly, aware that the teacher would be recording their actions on a manual system to be scored at the end of the day. She was thinking that it could be possible that he had tricked the information on the regional database somehow. She could play along with his ploy for now and figure out his plan. She stood behind Paul and looked incredulously at his attempts to comprehend the system. It didn't seem to be an act. Jan figured she could manipulate his weakness in Universal code to her advantage, once she discovered his plan.
Paul reached back and touched her arm. “hey”, he said. Jan twitched at the touch and maneuvered herself so her face was directly in front of his. His half turned sitting position seemed to discomfort her. Paul gulped and raised his eyebrows then pointed to the screen. Jan looked at the test sheet. “What?” she asked. Paul ducked his head and tried to figure out the technology, remembering that children could use it. He wished for pencils under his breath.
Foreign script and a great deal of numbers crowed the screen. A larger, brightly colored font was in the center. Paul noticed a glass and metal straw by his screen and picked it up. It changed from purple to green when his hand touched it. He held it over the center font and peered nervously over his cubicle at the teacher, who had recommenced chattering to the class in a language he didn't fully comprehend. There were a few words and phrases he had learned and he had taken classes in universal code, but immersion was quite a different matter.
Unsure, he rolled the stick between his fingers impatiently. His screen flashed and moved to a new image, with phrases. Some bits looked familiar. His reading comprehension had been much better than listening. He glanced over at the girl he'd found in the bushes. She regarded him stoically. He turned and tried to smile, holding up the glass straw and shrugging his shoulders. The tool clicked by slight pressure from his grip. He repeated this a few times and noticed an expression of rising horror on the girl's face. He paused and glanced around. Nothing. Jan grabbed his head and pointed it towards the screen. He didn't understand. She put her hand on his face and pushed the hair above his eyes. A line of numbers was whirring in the center of the screen and a row of phrases traced in red glowed menacingly.
Paul figured he had clicked on some wrong answers. He thought it was a bit weird the girl had seemed so horrified. He leaned in to the screen and tried to remember what some of the words meant, so he could accurately answer the next question. He was about to click his tool when he felt his head jerked back. Jan positioned him to look at the ceiling, where his screen was displayed. The tool moved a green dot around the image. Jan took the tool from him and pushed him aside to type something on the screen. She placed his hands on the screen. He glanced down and she jerked his head upwards again. Paul grunted in frustration. “Look”, he whispered, “ I don't know this keyboard by memory, alright?” Jan found herself shaking her head. She really didn't understand. He must be the worst spy in modern history.
She assisted him with the very basics of universal code, explaining things as best she could in Ancient English. He knew some of the code already, a mix of the Ghoster language and calculus. Ghosters were extraterrestrials who had invaded the planet with unprecedented ease, on account of their imperceptibility to human eyes. It took some time working behind the scenes as “Ghosts” who guided key human officials and inventors before they were recognized as a powerful mass of intelligent, and difficult to perceive, entities. The population guided humans to develop many technologies for communication and improved efficiency. Relations were peaceful and the Ghosters discovered an ether-dense planet to which many migrated to in order to colonize.
The class ended before the Paul finished his lesson, and he was frustrated to see the screen go black as the door clicked open. The teacher approached and stood to his left. Jan prodded him to stand up and turned him to face the teacher appropriately. He stood and bowed his head. “I am sorry,” he said in Ancient English “ repeat?” he asked in universal code. The teacher tilted her head quizzically. She moved what looked like a black stone above his screen. She spoke in the universal code, “This has recorded DGW3837280's score for this class. DGW3837280 must improve 85% to meet the class standard. I am deducting 55 points for DGW38372800's misbehavior earlier. Additional work will be transmitted through home screen when DGW3837280 is assigned living quarters. DGW3837280 needs to get an eyepiece.” She turned to Jan and bowed her head slightly. Jan did the same.
Chapter 3
Paul picked up the duffel he had left just inside the door. Jan hadn't noticed it. As the children filed out, the whispered excited to each other and glanced nervously over their shoulders to look at Paul and Jan, who obviously didn't belong in their class. As he exited the classroom, Paul took the lead, and grabbed Jan's hand again so she was dragged behind. They settled on a bench in one of the lower courtyards. He seemed to know the layout of the school well enough, even if he couldn't get through a basic language lesson on his own.
Jan remained silent and stoic. “Look”, he said, “ What is your name? The School Coordinator said some goobledeegook but I bet you have a real name. I mean, you seem like the only person here with any humanity left”. Jan considered her strategy. It would be a good idea to pretend to play into his hands so he trusted her with details of his overall scheme. But she figured it would seem odd if she suddenly changed her mood. She asked her own question to fill the silence and give her time to think. “Why did so many people use 'Look' as an introductory clause. What does it mean? I'm not sure at what you wish me to look or why it would help me better understand your request.” Paul laughed. “ I am so relieved that you speak English. I thought you were mute for a bit there. Look, is there any food?” He glanced around. Students had abandoned the courtyard. He smelled something smoky on the air flowing down one of the halls. “Like that” he said, and tried to stand to pursue the scent. Jan tugged him back to the seat with surprising force. “you did not answer the question” she said warningly. Paul rolled his eyes and pattered on hurriedly, “Its just a turn of phrase, a synonym for examine. 'Seeing things my way' like. Sight was identified with reason and truth when people needed their eyes to prove something, and it just stuck.” He managed to escape Jan's grip but cautiously remained seated. . “You were supposed to be giving me lessons, though”, he said.
Jan reached up to her temple to save to file a video of the agent to be analyzed later. But her fingers brushed the dial button on her temple to no avail. There was no image on her screen. She was reminded again of how she nor the young man sitting next to her had eyepieces on. He didn't even have a mount on his temple. Jan felt like she was in a movie. Rather, like a character from a movie was trying and failing to adjust to her boring, regulated life.
Jan was still confused and felt exhausted by what had happened in the last few hours. Perhaps she had gone mad and her small deviations had taken over and produced an hallucination, a figment of her crazed imagination. She reached out to touch his arm. He was there. Or maybe she only thought he was there. She had an idea. If he was a dream, she might as well be enjoying it. She had shaken hands, why shouldn't she try to copy other customs from historical movies before she woke up? Jan leaned up close to his face quickly and pressed her lips against his. He jerked back and nearly fell off the bench. “Ah,” He squeaked and regained composure, “Nice to -ahem- to meet you too, but ...ah..name?” Jan turned away and brought up her knees and wrapped her arms around them, thinking. If she were crazy, her brain was tricking her into believing that this guy was real. So Jan returned to her theories of why he was at her school.
Jan decided it was time to ask some questions. She wanted to get past the charade and down to the details of his plan. “The teacher said that your name is DGW3837280.” He sighed, exasperated, “Well that isn't much of a name, is it? My real name, my... what do you people call it? My Ancient English name, is Paul. I'm sure you have one too.” He added hopefully. Jan watched him carefully. His mouth pulled up at the corners. For some reason it relaxed her and she echoed his expression. Jan waited. “Look,” Paul said after a while, “ If we are going to be working together, I need something to call you. Something normal, not your weird-ass code thing.” Jan blinked her eye in irritation. She regretted not being able to record his manner of speaking. She stood and warily extended her hand, “ you may call me Jan” she said.
Paul sighed and hopped up to stand beside her. “Well now Jan, that wasn't too hard was it? I'm glad we've been introduced. It seems we both need eyepieces. Oh. And lunch. I think that is much more essential. Where can we get some sandwiches or something?” Jan was perplexed. “Lunch is at 1200 hours” she said. Paul ducked his head and leaned forward, “Yeah. So?” Jan laughed, because she didn't really understand what he was trying to say but she did not want to show an actual weakness. “We cannot eat lunch food unless it is time for lunch break.” Paul just laughed. “Why not? Zombies gonna get us?”he responded. Jan scrunched her eyebrows, trying to understand. Paul seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of words, which he strung along a melodic and rhythmic pattern which was quite entrancing.
“Why can't you eat now? Has your mouth stopped working?” he asked. Jan smiled slightly. “No” Jan answered. “Well,” Paul continued, “Is the food locked up so we can't get it until lunch time?” “No,” Jan responded. She started thinking about it. “I suppose,” she said, “well, I suppose with an old definition of 'lunch' the vague and imperfect kind, it just means a midday meal. I suppose one could bend the interpretation of midday and have lunch at almost any time.” Paul tapped his feet on the ground, “Riiight” he agreed. “And with our eye pieces broken, we don't know the precise time, so...” his tone ended in a long upturn. It was as if he was waiting for Jan to catch up with his line of thinking. He obviously applied to some system of values more relative to ancient cultures than the efficient and strict regulations of the one he was trying to demolish. Jan would have to play along and let him think he was in control until she could gain an advantage. After a brief pause, to make Paul think she was a bit slow, Jan said, “We could have lunch right now!” Paul jumped up happily and raised his hand in front of Jan, “High Five!” he said. Jan bit her lip and lifted a trembling hand. She moved it into a high five and repeated the gesture a few times. Both of them laughed. Jan didn't particularly mind pretending to follow his lead.
Paul started walking and Jan followed. “So,” he asked, “Where does one find some food around here?” Jan stopped. Paul realized she wasn't following him and turned to face her. Jan bowed slightly to initiate conversation, though he was some feet away, “Paul, you must have an eyepiece. It is too irregular to be without one”. Jan thought that if he wanted any chance at succeeding in bringing destruction, he would have to blend in. “After lunch” he interjected. Jan frowned. “Just because we can eat lunch now does not mean that we should. Prioritize and improve efficiency. Scores increase by .34 percent when one consumes the regulated nutrition at the appropriate time.” Paul's face dropped. “you sounded a bit like a robot there with 'prioritize and improve efficiency'. I almost forgot I was marooned in this crazy place for a moment. What if,” he said, pacing, “ What if I don't want to get an eye piece? What if I want to eat lunch now because I am hungry now? Who gives a flip about scores?” He yelled hideously in frustration and pounded his fist into a wall. Jan was surprised by his anger. She walked down the path towards the tram station. There was an eyepiece repair staition on campus, but to get a new lens for Paul, they would need to go to a manufacturer's laboratory. Jan figured he would follow her. If he wanted to communicate with anyone, he'd have to get her help. She even had trouble understanding his way of talking and she was the best student of Ancient English. Jan hoped he would realize that. If he decided to wreak more havoc, at least she would no longer be involved.
Paul punched his fist into his knee. Why did he ever think he wanted this? He wanted to be part of the larger world, the modern world, but it was filled with people who didn't know how to be people. If others were as machine-minded as Jan he was sure he'd go mad. Perhaps take her idea of blowing up the school. Well, he thought, at least that is a similarity between 'them' and 'us'. Paul wasn't sure where he stood between those two categories. He hadn't been completely exiled from the commune. Paul shook himself. It hasn't even been a full day, he thought. His stomach grumbled again and he remembered the last time he ate, which only made him more hungry and homesick. He had no choice. He'd have to stay here for at least 125 days, he might as well try to make the best of it so he'd have stories to bring back.
Paul jogged after Jan and looked for her on the walkways. He had studied a few 3-D maps before coming, but he didn't know much about the customs or daily practices of the people here, like where they distributed food and how one was to acquire it. Paul growled at the thought that he didn't have any money. He almost regretted having grown up in the commune rather than the standard city sections of the planet. But he was glad to have his humanity. He thought of Jan's wooden expressions and shivered to think of growing up like that. He looked around but he couldn't see her and didn't know where she was going. He even peeped in some of the wall planters on the off chance that she hid in them regularly.
Jan turned back and walked quickly. She wondered if he'd make a battle cry, or kill someone. She thought of historical reports which speculated raging hormones and testosterone imbalances as reason for emotional misbehaviors. Back when people still believed in medicine and psychology. It was very difficult to find historical records of these mythic-based practices. The new order had removed them to prevent confusion in modern times. Jan was excited by the amount of emotion he displayed. She was amused by his obsession with lunch. Whatever he was, dream or agent, she would learn more about him when she could repair her eyepiece and access the information the teacher had said had been sent to her.
Paul was glad that the hallways were relatively free of people. Everyone had the same jumpsuits and haircuts. He wondered if he'd even be able to recognize Jan if he found her. They both heard each other's footsteps at the same time. Paul waved and smiled sheepishly. Jan laughed at the incongruity. Such an ancient gesture was out of place in a jump-suited student on her school campus. She approached and guided him to the tram station.
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