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338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDixQGDKt0L
When we arrive at school we have approximately ten minutes until class begins. I have no business to take care of, so I head straight to class. I take my assigned seat, once again alone and towards the front of the room. My father’s mistakes follow me everywhere.
Somewhat to my surprise, Gena walks into the room and takes a seat next to me. She notices me looking at her and smiles. She flashes her data bracelet at me, showing that yes, this was in fact where she was supposed to be. I smile back and guide her a thumbs up. The bell rings. Class is starting.
Our teacher A.I. powers on. “Good morning class,” she greets us, “I hope you all received a good night’s sleep. We have much to learn today.” Teacher pauses for a moment before continuing, “Today we are having a special lesson on the Old Times. You will be shown a documentary, and your assignment will be to reflect on why this behavior was dangerous for humanity. You will take notes on your holo-computers after reflecting and then create a holo-presentation on your thoughts and reflections.”
The class nods, “Yes teacher,” we say in unison, showing our cooperation. The assignment may sound lengthy and complex, but Teacher knows what they are doing. Tech always knows. Teacher is just making sure we know why we can never go back to the Old Times, how chaotic and dangerous it would be. Not only will this assignment allow us to reflect and understand, but it will also expose those who are rebellious and ungrateful...those who will need to be reprogrammed for their own good. We can’t have rebellion. It would destroy the planet. Rebellion always erupts into war. War destroys the planet and families. That is what must be stopped, and even this assignment will help, no matter whether it is convenient or not. Humans are ignorant. Tech is intelligent. Tech will keep the world in order. Nothing else. Tech reigns supreme.
Teacher is just starting the video when I finish reflecting. The video is holographically projected of course. The documentary begins. It shows video after video of atrocious actions. Humans throwing heavy objects from great heights onto expensive vehicles. Teens consuming Tide Pods, surely getting themselves poisoned. Clips of humans using tech as a mere toy. I have to resist gasping in shock at the atrocious behavior humans once displayed. No wonder tech decided to take matters into their own hands. We may have not survived otherwise. No, we would not survive at all. We would have destroyed the planet and ourselves. Tech has been kind. They helped us. Tech is good.
The video ends, and Teacher speaks again. “I see that all of you were doing some form of reflection during the video, even if for some of you were reflecting subconsciously,” she pauses and dismissively waves her hand at us, “Either way part of your assignment is complete.”
I see what Teacher did. Teacher made it so that we thought we had more work to be done than we actually did. In the Old Times, the students would be mad. They would be blind, not seeing what a favor Teacher had done for us. Teacher was in a way, relieving us. We were all glad when we heard part of our assignment was already complete. It was a psychology trick to help us. I am grateful for it.
Teacher continues. “Now, you may begin taking notes on your thoughts and reflections on your holo-computers. After you are through with that, you will show it to me, and then I will give you my input before allowing you to begin your presentation.
Again we nod. “Yes Teacher,” then we add, “We are grateful that you are willing to give us your wise input. You are very kind. You are superior.”
Teacher gives us a nod and repeats, “You may begin.”
And so we do. I get my assigned holo-computer and activate it. I then do exactly as Teacher said, writing down my thoughts and reflections.
From just that documentary, I can see that the Old Times were chaos. Humans were stupid and ignorant. How could we have treated our authorities so badly? Using tech as a mere toy? How disrespectful! Destroying our possessions for fun? Poisoning ourselves for a video? It is good that tech rules. Tech is intelligent. Tech is supreme….
After a while, we are notified that this class is over. I have finished taking notes on my thoughts and reflections. My presentation will be homework. Before leaving class, I enter my data from class on my data bracelet. Tech will take it in and add it to my overall performance in school. Reflection and history is checked off the list for today. My next class is Physical Education. I will get my exercise that is personally designed for me.
When I enter the gymnasium I find my assigned workout room for the day. I enter the room and look around. It’s not very large. It’s about the size of my pod that I have at home. In the center of the room is a treadmill. The walls are all bare, empty of color and decorations. There is a projector overhead.
My data bracelet chimes. I have a notification.
It reads:
Greetings Jia Texa. Today your physical education assignment is to run two miles on the treadmill. We have already selected the scenery that will be projected. If you are in a great deal of pain, (unable to breath, etc.) send us a notification, so we can send the medical team to help. Now, you may begin by hitting Start Data.
I hit the Start Data icon as instructed after I step onto the treadmill. The treadmill starts up and I begin to run my two miles, my data bracelet keeping track of the distance I’ve run so far, my heart rate, how many steps I’ve taken, etc. The room around me is beginning to change from bare walls to a nature scene.
Suddenly I am jogging on a path through the woods. The air around me is warm with a slight breeze. The birdsong and chatter of squirrels fill my ears. When I reach the end of the woods, suddenly I’m on a path by a lake. The sun reflects off of it, making the lake look like it's filled with millions upon millions of diamonds. I’m in so much awe, I have to remind myself that it’s all just a simulation. Tech is so supreme that it can make beautiful simulations like this indoors for us to experience instead of feeling miserable for two miles. Tech is good. Tech is kind.
I’m enjoying myself so much that I almost don’t hear the chime of my data bracelet that informs me that my required workout for the day is complete. I’m a little disappointed, but I know I am required to stop after I am notified that I’m finished with my workout. I may be sad, but tech knows what’s right. Tech knows how far I should run to not over-exert myself. I should be glad that I am allowed such an experience. I am grateful. I will not be greedy as they were.
I freshen up before heading to lunch. I program a turkey and cheese sandwich with strawberries and water for lunch. Both healthy and tasty. I head off to find a seat. I am grateful that tech allow us to choose our seats for lunch. Tech is kind.
I’m not entirely sure where to sit. I don’t have many friends because of my father, but that’s ok. I get along just fine on my own. I eventually just sit down at an open table. I’m just beginning to eat my sandwich when I spot Gena nervously looking around. I decide to wave her over.
“Gena,” I call out, waving my hand, “You can sit over here if you’d like.”
Gena spots me and looks relieved. She walks over to my table and sits down.
“Hi Jia,” she greets, “Thanks for letting me sit here. It’s my first day you know, so I didn’t really know where to go since I wasn’t assigned a seat.”
I smile at her. “It’s no problem. You can sit with me anytime you’d like. I could use the company.”
Gena smiles, “Sure.”
We sit in silence for a moment, each of us pondering what to say. I decide to ask her where she moved from, but before I can open my mouth, Gena speaks.
“I know it’s considered rude to ask, but what got you assigned in front seats? You seem like a nice person, so what happened?”
I’m taken aback for a moment by her question. I mean, yes, it's uncomfortable to discuss, but at the same time, I want to know more about the same situation with her too, so I decide to answer. Perhaps she’ll tell me about her if I do.
“My father,” I begin, trying to piece together what I’m about to say in my head. My family never talks about it, but I still remember everything, even if it was ten years ago.
“He…rebelled.” The memories come flooding back, like a wave crashing on the seashore.
My father was once a kind, respectable man, always following directions, always being a good citizen. One day, he just...changed. No one expected it from him. It all started with him secretly using the Old Ways, but then he began to protest that tech’s rule was unjust, keeping the human race under their chains. He even began a resistance, to prepare for a human-A.I.war. He dragged so many people down with him. It’s a wonder that he was merely taken in for Reprogramming instead of execution like some in his resistance. I believe it was because my brother and I were children, and they did not want to burden that upon our family.
I take a deep breath, still piecing my words together before continuing, “He was ungrateful. He used the Old Ways and protested against tech’s rule.”
Gena’s eyes widen, and her jaw drops.
“Was he executed?”
“No,” I say, “It was a miracle he wasn’t. He was taken in for Reprogramming though, and we haven’t seen him since”
Gena seems taken aback for a moment.
“Wow,” she breathes, “Just wow.”
I sigh and nod. I debate whether or not to ask her about her story. She hasn’t offered anything, so I don’t know whether she feels comfortable discussing it or not. At the same time, I did tell her my story. I decide to go for it.
“What about you?” I ask.
She looks up from her meal, “Hmm?” She asks.
“What’s your story? You are assigned in the front like me, but you’re a nice person, so what happened with you?”
“Oh,” she pauses for a moment, and I wonder if I’ve offended her by asking. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked after all. I open my mouth to apologize, but she cuts me off before I’m able to speak.
“I can’t tell you everything, but I moved for a reason. Much like you, I’m under watch because of activity within my family. I’m really sorry, but for both of our safety’s I can’t tell you ...yet.”
I nod in understanding, and she smiles at me. I decide against asking her where she moved from. It could be part of what she can’t tell me. I’ll figure out her story eventually, just not today.
338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUTeNl2OXU
We eat the rest of our lunches in silence. When we are notified that it’s time for the next class, I get up to leave, but Gena stops me.
“It was good having lunch with you,” she tends her hand, offering me to shake it.
When I do, I feel that she slips something into my hand.
“Anyway, I’ll see you soon,” she says before leaving me pretty much alone in the cafeteria.”
I look down at what she slipped into my hand. Paper...but paper is illegal. What would Gena be doing with paper? Why would she give it to me?
Despite everything I’ve been taught and the fact that this could get me into serious trouble, I open the note with shaking hands.
It reads:
The woods. Take a walk and go there. Keep your eyes open, you may just find something.
That’s it? I flip the note over. That cant be everything, could it? My thoughts travel from how short the note is to the contents of it itself. Go to the woods? What could possibly be in the woods?
The next question is...should I follow directions? The note in my hand is forbidden and could get both Gena and I into trouble. I shudder to think of the consequences. However, she wouldn’t take such big of a risk to give me the note if it wasn’t important. My data bracelet buzzes. Ah, I’ve been thinking too long. I’m tardy for my next class.
ns 15.158.61.55da2
