Life haven't been easy for someone in the Dawson family in the twenty second centuary, Steven have found a new work as a teacher. The profession have been dead for years. Things are about unearth as Steven encountered things banned by society ages ago aswell as old ghosts returning form the grave.
“Sure that you want to do this, Mr Dawson?”, Said the man clasping his hands together. You could sense how he was anxious with the answer, thought Steven Dawson.
“Does it look like there were any other choices? Stop with the formalities, Sid. We know each other too well for that sort of thing at this time.”, Said Steven.
He wore a green jacket with the mandatory tie. Pants to suit it. The hair was slick.
“I know, I indeed do, Stevie. But this isn’t something anyone would do, I mean teaching things is unmodern at this age.”
Sid might have been among the smaller men you met, but he sure knew how to suck up on people. If something was to be fixed, just find Sidney Alkovich. Jack-of-all trades in employment among other things…
“And yet they need it badly. The employee’s wage will be transferred to the usual account, I hope.”
The little man let out a sigh.
“I have warned you Stevie, it isn’t a fancy job with an office and a truck full with credits.”
“If that was a snide remark you know how I feel about that.”, Said Steven.
Sid produced a hanky from his pocket and wiped face.
“Too well.”
“Good. When do I start educating the already educated?”
Sid put the hanky on his desk and wiped his right hand over the desk. Low beeping sounds started to work. A screen appeared over the desk with ones and zeros jumping at random intervals.
Sid touched the top and turned around the screen for Steven to see in green blinking letters:
Steven Dawson, 35, Apartment 512 Baio.
Location: Second Mamas, EducationCenter.
Profession: Educationeer.
Salary: 2,000 Credits.
Schedule:
10am-2pm. Four days a week.
5pm-10pm. Two days a week.
5am-9am One day a week.
Starting Time: Tuesday 5pm.
“Various times… I take it that they are either half-owl or roosters.”, Said Steven.
He wasn’t surprised, though the question was how he was going to make it to the early days. Transports didn’t apply at that hour.
“Come again?”, Said Sid. There was a brief pause. “Ah, now I get it! You were trying to be funny. Next time try to warn me in case I get a heart attack, eh Stevie?”
Sid wiped his right backwards and the screen faded away in thin air seconds later.
“The overtime salary? From what I know about these “educationeers”, they work hard for nothing.”, Said Steven. His voice was cold.
Steven looked outside the nearby window. It was sunny. The little man took time before he answered.
“Well… you see… Yes, it’s true they work loads of overtime. Less then what a janitor does today, but this is between you and me, Stevie. You unfortunately won’t receive any extra for working over. I’m terribly sorry for that, but so are the rules and the market demand. You will instead receive a neat little thing, which I can’t tell about... As you know, teaching isn’t necessary with instant learning-chips introduced a couple of years ago. “Learn the whole repertoire of break-dance in five minutes!” “Five thousand pages of the World War III in a moment!” Only downloading takes time!!”, Said Sid. He pointed at his bracelet on the left arm.
It was blue and shaped like a rectangle. How could he forget, that little box could at present fit both music, movies, schedules, cell phone and many things else including the watch you could see when someone flashed the thing. Everyone, including Steven had one himself. “E-Box”, the company called it. Pathetic name wise, and yet easy for people to love. Later it evolved and allowed the user to watch movies, music inside one individual or a group’s mind, or minds. This wasn’t what impressed the mass, many companies had similar products. The company got the edge thanks to the small cards. Similar to what movies and news were downloaded on, but with the ability to download a program inserted into the card. It stimulated the brain impulses in a fashion to learning. Copying to be precise.
The E-Box dominated the market.
“Little to expect that for hope. That “neat” thing as you put it, wouldn’t be a Thank-You card?”, Said Steven.
Sid almost fell off his chair behind the desk.
“To be blunt, yes. And I told you not joke! I could have broken something.”, Said Sid.
He sounded like a terrified barking dog behind the fence, thought Steven.
“Why worry? Your lawyer would have sued the chair for a failing propulsion in the motor beneath it.”, Said Steven before he left the office.
He felt a slight relief for making it this far. Steven entered the elevator and pushed a button. Now it was possible to pay off some debts at home. Living at home with your parents in their apartment wasn’t unusual for a man at his age. Living by yourself or with someone was financial suicide unless your family and the other’s parents backed you up. Steven remembered how he fell for that trap years ago. The girl, Sophie, five years younger, he moved together with persuaded Steven to take that flash bank loan. “No security required”, in bold text and a little dot in the place you can’t spot that signed the deal and triggered the trap: Interest at 200%, paid in one year mortgage.
Sophie fled the apartment when she realised two months later. No trace. An e-mail like that can have that tendency. He was left alone to handle the loan.
Now he had to prepare for his teaching at Mamas. Not much to do for your first lesson with no guidance, Steven thought.
He went hastily from the elevator to the departing magnet train. It had started to rain. You barely saw anything aside the lights illuminating through the barraging raindrops on the windows.
Time was crawling on the train. People were either talking about the latest things or watched a movie. They looked awkward with their pupils starring, small as they were in this state, into nothingness. Steven looked out from the nearby window.
The train moved on for about thirty minutes before it started to slow down.
It wasn’t unexpected in this kind of weather. The magnets were sensitive to longer rain periods. Making the magnet train go at a slower velocity prevented larger catastrophes.
“Time is money is an old expression, in my case it means the opposite.” , Steven muttered to himself.
The magnet train continued moving at the lower speed a few more minutes, including rocking a bit on the rail hanging over it. It was suppose to increase safety for the passengers by changing the rail from going under the train, to moving over it. Old fashion didn’t fit in this world. The magnet train circled around a tall house before it stopped at Second Mamas Magnet Train Station.
A sparkling sound appeared and a voice echoed through the train:
“Attention all passengers going to the next station, “Third Mamas” must stop here due to poor weather conditions. We thank you for choosing Seatway Communications the better option to get around town in no time.”
A few disappointed passengers mumbled in Steven’s train car when the voice died.
Steven went from the train station and headed to the center.
Arriving at the reception hall, Steven was dripping on the floor.
“Avoid jumping in every puddle, the janitor doesn’t appreciate when visitors drags in half the pacific into the house.”, Said the woman behind the counter in a bittersweet voice. She wore her brown hair in a pony-tail. Dressed in a typical blue receptionist uniform. “Mister, I’m sorry I didn’t get your name.”
“Steven Dawson.”
The irony she mentioned the janitor, Steven thought recalling what Sid told him earlier.
“I beg you pardon? Mr Dawson? And what might be your errand be here? You see, we don’t get many visitors here… unless you are among those applying for program starting today. Let me spare your time, the rooms are full until early year 2145 in April.”
Steven muffled a stiff attempt at laughing.
“What’s so funny? ”, The woman said.
“Thought of something else. Look at your database and tell me why I am here.”, Steven said.
His was voice was cold at the last words. The receptionist looked puzzled at him and twisted the left wrist on the desk.
“I found nothing at the student base, checking the working stab yielded nothing… except for looking at the educationeer’s. Ah, you were hard to find.”, The receptionist said.
She paused a bit and removed her hand from the console. “Looks like you will be teaching lost souls, Mister Dawson. Nice to meet you! Samantha Higgins, but call me Candy. They all do.”
“Steven… Formalities are unrequired among workers.”, Steven said.
“We call it even then, Steven. Take the elevator to the basement and I have someone help you get comfortable.”, Candy said.
She pointed at the one of the elevators behind her.
“Briefing is sufficient enough.”, Steven snapped off.
Steven took the left elevator and went down the building, leaving Candy with a confused expression.
It was a far way down. Starting from floor sixty might take time, Steven thought looking down through the plastic-coated elevator.
The light inside the elevator was dim.
The work he applied to this time was under his dignity, but what could he do? The last job was a failure thanks to his “behaviour”. This was the bottom among bottoms, working as an educationeer. Keeping a low profile is advised, Steven told himself. Both father and mother were retired. Senior citizens didn’t have a wage to flash about. Everything was grandfather’s fault. He brought up the Dawsons to the sky and made them plummet deep before his death.
Steven’s apartment mortgage was enough already for the family without having the old man’s debts. The elevator passed floor by floor as Steven sunk into his thoughts.
From what he could tell, an educationeer is basically a teacher in a new package.
Teachers were retired shortly after the E-Box was introduced. Applying for other professions were harsh after being a teacher. The CV’s credibility was lowered when you have been a, or in his case, is a “teacher”.
Bothering about the repercussions should be left to after finishing this work, Steven told himself.
Using the automobile for work was pointless, since it didn’t work anymore. Taking it for repair was out of question. Relying on the magnet train was his only option.
A soft melody told Steven that he has arrived at the bottom-floor.
The room was large. The basement seemed to be divided into sections, “modules”, was the old word for it. An office large enough for a person to fit inside, with certain essential items, and yet small enough to restrain any kind of excessive space.
The only real lightsource on this floor came from an office far into the basement.
A person waved his hand and yelled something inaudible.
“Speak louder!”, Steven yelled back.
It was no use, he couldn’t hear anyway.
Step by step Steven guided his way towards the persons by feeling with his hands.
Coming closer he didn’t have to rely on his hands. Steven was greeted by a grey-haired man in a brown costume. His glasses magnified the already large pupils. You could see his green very clear.
“Good you didn’t leave! I was almost bursting my lungs back there. Angus Simmons, another educationeer as we call ourselves these days. Candy already told me about you would arrive.”, Angus said. He quickly shook Steven hand. “We don’t see many people yet that have applied here, but it is only the first day and everything with few classes. I am glad you came, Steven! Younger blood helps rejuvenate old –fashioned professions.”
“The burden of work?”, Steven said.
Angus stopped shaking his hand.
“Ah, I see. You prefer to cut to the chase. It might work, but don’t overdo it.”
The old man made a gesture for Steven to follow.
Angus showed the working office for Steven when he isn’t in-class:
Small, with the old model holographic computer waiting patiently on the desk. Chips for work and assignment to store data sitting in the case.
“You will educate individuals ranging from early teens to the late forties in mixed classes. The first chip should explain it with more details, as I have myself a lesson starting very soon. Good luck with your first day!”, Angus said. He left the basement fast for a man close to his seventies, Steven thought.
“What can you say little disc?“, Steven said mumbling.
He opened the sealed case and snatched the first chip, green in colour, and slotted it inside his bracelet. Opening the cover, his fingers dotted to activate the holographic mode.
An emerald-green head shot out from the bracelet. It was bald and beamed with confidence.
“Disc one… Good afternoon, dear educationeer. I am program XCR 15, programmed to inform you about the various aspects of this profession. To start with, “Why re-introduce”? Because independant researchers at facilities around the world have concluded that extensive use of Evanza BOtora noXa, or “E-Box” and its competitors devolve certain brain sections. By monotonally learning indirect, the human brain ceases its natural ability to adapt to certain situations. Indeed, researches have shown that using E-Box allows the user to learn more in short time, but at the cost of thinking constructive.”
Steven wasn’t surprised; most of what the floating head said was common news in the city.
But no one had put it that way before. XCR continued speaking in its monotone voice:
“The society agreed on re-establishing school, but with the difference that learning should be done in multiple levels. In other words, you the educationeer will teach the pupils in theory and practice, criticise facts and courses in safe-using the bracelets. Learn how to identify corrupted data and what not. These are the basics you will be teaching, dear employee. Your computer is linked with the society’s database for educationeer purposes. Use them wisely.”
XCR went more into detail explaining about how creating this program would take up the average intelligence among citizens willing to work for a better society. After lengthy briefing, the head vanished and a low sound signalled that the chip had popped out.
“This will be interesting for a low-ranked profession..”, Steven said. “The future depending sewer rats, more ironic.”
He put back the green chip on its place on the desk.
Steven uploaded the chips behind until the clock was 4.30 pm.
Waiting for the elevator to bring him to classroom 213 at floor thirty, Steven reflected upon the first lesson. Showing authority was the most important step to uphold a class of squirts to elders.
The elevator doors opened and Steven went out. Finding the classroom wasn’t difficult, seeing that only five rooms with signs existed on the floor.
Two-thirteen was located a far bit from the others with a wide door. He put his hand on the black square on the door; it beeped with confirmed identity and slid open.
The room was large. A magnet train with its five cars put beside each other could fit in easily inside. Seats were stretching for as far as Steven could see. In the middle was a round platform located higher then the seats. The spot for the speaker, or in this case, educationeer.
Steven waded through the seat ocean. Looking closer, he could see that the spotlight above him ensured that no one could mistake who was on the stage, let alone the sticks hanging down from the ceiling. They project splendid pictures of the speaker for people to see from afar in the room, and at the same time worked as microphones to catch the speaker’s every word.
“Nothing I can do, except preparing.”, Steven thought.
5 pm, people started pour in and took their seats. Loud whisperings echoed in the lecture hall.
Fat people, skinny people, short and tall, all kinds of humans appeared in the room.
Steven stood on stage watching as the last people entered. He raised his hand to make the whispering vanish. The sound level barely decreased. Steven told them to be quiet. A few stopped talking.
“THIS ISN’T A TEA PARTY, STUDENTS! THE LESSON HAVE STARTED!”, Steven said.
His voiced bounced around the room and overwhelmed the chatter. The room became quiet, probably by chock when a voice sounded like a MegaTon-Consert on half volume, Steven thought.
“Everyone here are to participate in this program for education within information and, learn how to use it properly.”, Steven said. He had established the first contact. One star.
“I’m not, I was forced!”, a boy shouted from the back of the seats.
“Me, too! And why would we learn something the hard way anyway? The E-Box does that for us.”, another voice said.
The sound level was rising as more and more agreed on those statements. Steven felt the star was disintegrating.
“Whether you are here voluntarily or not, I don’t care. Your question already gave the answer.”, Steven said. He was looking directly at the second person, a woman in her mid-twenties.
The audience turned silent again.
“No one comprehends that contradiction?”, Steven said.
He felt confident again having the control. No answer.
“All of you learn something everyday, no escape. By relying on this thing…”, Steven pulled up his sleeve and showed his bracelet. “Your brains become soft and weak... M-Ombies for horror-fantasts.”
People started to retaliate.
“Are you implying that we, everyone in this room are brain-dead monsters from a B-movie? What crap, you sound like a quack doctor with a diploma from one of those anti-E companies!”, the woman said.
Low mumblings rose, supporting her.
“Confessing is the first step to salvation, or in your case the treatment to find a cure.”, Steven said.
“Again with that mambo-jumbo crap! Just tell us already what to do and we can leave.”
“It seems you will have a harder time then the others in this lecture hall to learn. Time is everything. I didn’t get your name.”, Steven said.
“CAN’T YOU JUST STOP!?”
Steven twisted his finger and a stick aimed towards the woman.
The woman appeared onscreen high in the air.
“Name?”
“….”
“Louder. Show that you are able to at least hear what I say, lass.”, Steven said.
“… Sandra…”
“Do I have to adjust the volume? Those sitting two seats in front of you can’t hear.”
“SANDRA MAH, for pete’s sake!”
“Mah, as in the Mah-corporation. Underdeveloper of the Evanza? Don’t answer, you already did before.”
The stick went back to its original position and Steven replaced Sandra.
“Good, you are not as damaged as I thought. Back to the topic. Information as you know it today, have changed in the way it is distributed at this year 2142. By sending it directly into the brain have made it a child’s play to learn what your ancestors took ages to learn. Being obvious, any shortcut has its downs and ups, in this case that I mentioned earlier. The Evanza have turned humans into walking hard drives without any firewall. Chips you upload has a risk of having a corrupted command deep inside its circuits. With increased black market activities, risks grow stronger since surgeons can’t locate the original source of the commando and extract a… “vaccine”. This is obvious for most of you, but never presume when it comes to knowledge. Does anyone here not know how the third World War occurred?”
No whispers or hands rose. A smile appeared at Steven’s lips
“Can anyone tell me why it happened?”
A wave of hands shot up around the room.
Steven pointed the stick towards a man with a bizarre hairstyle.
“Your name?”
“MacCallister, Finnigan MacCallister.”, Said Finn.
Steven nodded and waved his hand.
“During a humanity demonstration in former Brussels year 2050, men and women were shot because the demonstration was turning into a riot. What started the war was infact that only Buddhists and Muslims were targeted among more prominent religions in that region such as Christianity.”, Said Finn. He caught breath and continued. “The riot-police were prosecuted behind locked doors for breaking their authorities. They claimed that they only followed orders. It leaked and media caught hold of it. This raised suspicions among strongly faith-based countries after the sentence became official: Fifteen to Twenty years in prison without any chance of parole. Political agendas were used on Belgium and guerrilla-like people attacked Belgium-related regions. It ended in more countries got dragged into and war was the only solution between supporters and the opposition.”
Finnigan was exhausted after enplaning the aspects.
“And where did you obtain this information, if I might ask?”, Steven asked.
“My old man had been told by his and so on. The rest I got from the chips, mister Dawson.”
“Good, you had more then one resource when it happened after all with your book-like description and details...”, Steven said. The stick aimed on Steven again as he walked around the scene.
“Did it occur to you at least to question any of your resources, MacCallister?”
Finn shook his head.
“”The victorious controls the history.” Have any of you heard that expression before?”
Mixed mumbles went through the lecture hall.
“This can be compared to the chips, only the essential information is sent on, What really made the incident to escalate to a religious war was that among the demonstrants were a boy to a prominent minister in the east. No one did know that the boy was there disguised. A thousand people in various religions and beliefs stood there. Two hundred yards and six thousand and five people from the closest riot-police officer. Political conflicts were bond to happen after that a leak told about how an American politician was involved... He gave the order behind the scenes to make it look like an accident. After the aftermath’s year 2082, the first step towards an equal world: Eliminating religion.
This sounds trivial, but compare the faulty in the chip or chips MacCallister used to obtain a more detailed story about the third world war, with that of a surgeon. She learns how operate through. A ”Human Surgeon”-chip, but it comes with an unknown bug: Every time the female surgeon does a heart operation, she will in the middle of the process start treating the heart as a wool-jumper she is knitting…Imagining it shows how taking information for granted is hazardous. Class dismissed!”, Steven said.
The lecture hall was emptied far faster then it took them to start.
Steven snapped his fingers and the sticks terminated the screens they produced. A second snap put out the spotlights.
He closed the door and headed for an empty elevator.
The lesson went well for a first time; he hadn’t been the center of a large crowd of two hundred people in years.
He was about to press the elevator button when a thin hand appeared first. The door opened.
Steven turned head to see who it was.
A girl in blue bib-and-brace overalls and a red sweater under, smiled at him.
She had her green hair in pigtails with cute skulls as accessories.
“Hi! It took some time, but you turned out to be great, mister Dawson, sir. Oh! I forgot telling who I am. Misa Fukado, sweet nineteen and ready too..”
“Why didn’t you leave with your friends, Fukado? You were seated among the chattering clusters. I said class dismissed, didn’t I?”, Steven said.
He walked in to the elevator. Fukado hesitated, but followed him before the elevator doors closed.
The elevator went up to the top where the reception was
Steven was stirring at the view as they went up.
Thought circled inside his head. Did he blow it, the first day and all?
He shouldn’t have let that woman push him. You could always have fended it off more elegant without chopping her legs off, huh? Control was important to him, if things got to far no one was safe around him…
The girl looked on him, he knew that without looking back. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Then she tried again:
“But I wanted to…”
“No.”
“Tell you…”
“No!”
“That I…”
“What is wrong with you!? Silence is gold.”
Fukado pouted and blew up her chins.
The elevator stopped at its destination.
“I really appreciated what you did back there in class, even if you were a bit mean! I know you really put your heart into that lesson!!”, Fukado said quickly.
She ran from the elevator to the exit across the reception hall with tears dripping.
Steven took the magnet train home to the apartment at the Baio-building.
He pressed the black square at the front door, went to his bed fully dressed, briefly noticing his mother sitting in the living room with child sleeping on her lap.
Probably one of the neighbours, Steven muttered as he hit bed.