POV: ALEX (A sixteen year old college student)
Location: Massachusetts institute of technology (MIT)
Meanwhile back in our world, a young man was sitting across his therapist with disinterest and impatience written clearly on his face. This was his nineteenth therapy session and as far as he could tell the entire enterprise stank of an utter and complete waste of time. This was partly because he felt that he did not need it but mainly because he could often tell that his therapists were truly afraid of him despite everything they said.
This was not because he had issues with his brain but quite to the contrary, it was because more often than not he was five levels above his generation due to his highly advanced intelligence.
The problem was that when a person is that intelligent, he or she tends to stand out.
........
"So do you now why you are here Mr Kingsley?" Your latest psychiatrist asked after trying to explain a new type of bull shit to you.
"Yes miss Ratod." You reply casually
"I know the correct answer to every single question you can ask."
"Quite to the contrary Mr Kingsley, you are here because the school is of the opinion that your intellectual prowess has made you a little too disrespectful to your peers and professor." Miss Ratod countered bluntly due to her growing temper
"Is it because you do not see them as your intellectual equal?"
Rather than reply you simply looked at a file on her desk
"Is that my file?" You asked
"It is." She answered
"Interesting!"
"How so Mr Kingsley?" She asked while subtly pulling the file towards her
"My file is marked confidential with six stars at the top." You reply
"Every rebel or deviant or problem case in this school is marked with only four stars. Am I that big a problem for the school?"
"Please do not misunderstand Mr Kingsley." She countered
"The school is only trying to....."
"What is in my file?"
"Pardon me?"
"My file." You repeat
"Read it to me. I want to know what the school knows about me."
She immediately tried to change your mind but upon seeing that you will not budge she relented and began to read
"Alex Octavian Kingsley. Sixteen years of age. Mother died in childbirth f
You could only shake your head sadly as the woman hurried away in other to keep what was left of her mental health.
"You see what I am saying?" The professor who called you there asked in clear frustration
"Every single psychiatrist who had been assigned to him has met the same fate. It's either he blackmails them, threatens them, outsmart them or brings up some long repressed injury that sends them fleeing faster than their legs can carry them. What the hell am I supposed to do at this point?"
"You could stop sending psychiatrists after him for one. I think It is very clear how he see them."
"And then what? Let him just continue with his high minded attitude?" He counters
"What exactly is the problem doctor?"
"Your brother thinks he is so smart that he regards no one as his equal." The anger was clear in his voice
"He doesn't respect his instructors. He doesn't respect the professors. He doesn't even respect Einstein cause he thinks he's smarter than all of us combined."
"And is he?" You asked softly
"Smarter than all of you I mean?"
"He is my best student miss Kingsley." He replied with a tight frown
"Let's leave it at that."
"I'll go talk to him." You said finally as you opened the door to the guidance office.
As soon as you entered your brother gave that look that made it clear he was up to no good.
"When is miss Ruth coming back?" He asked with a smile that was dripping wet with false innocence.
"Screw you Tom."
.......
Thirty minutes later, you end up sitting in the front seat of your brother's car while trying to figure out how to address the professor's concern without making seem as though you were trying to interrogate or antagonize him.
"Something on your mind?" He asked while driving
"Just thinking about a few things the professor told me." You replied
"Is this about my superiority complex?"
No use backing down now
"Yes." You answer
"You have got to stop doing this soon Thomas, otherwise people would start getting suspicious."
"Suspicious of what?" He shoots
"My ability to solve maths and speak english are well within the realm of regular human brain activity."
"Are you kidding me?" You cried
"You hacked the school system 33 times this week despite all the extra security they put in place. You call that normal?"
"Father programmed me to keep wanting to learn sister." He answered
"People teach you the most valuable things when their pride is hurt. Besides I just taught them something valuable didn't I?"
Try as you might, you could not think of any good enough response to counter that argument partly because he was right and partly because what he said was true.
When your father programmed this robot, the first thing he made sure to do was to put together a special program that would enable it to learn. This was supposed to allow it learn simple phrase and follow basic instructions but your father underestimated his own creation.
Within a week the robot could talk and walk just as well as any human being, simply from watching the both of you. The week after that he knew everything there is to know about table manners and personal hygiene.
About three weeks after his creation your father decided to keep the robot, name him and attach a new piece of dynamic skin to him that grows with its owner.
After that your father enrolled him in school and you personally took him with you and he continued learning by your side.
Eventually, when your father died he 'adjusted' his age and used a legal loophole to get himself appointed as your legal guardian.
"So you are tormenting your psychiatrists simply because you want to learn?" You were still trying to wrap your head around it.
"Of course." His answer was casual as always
"Isn't it obvious?"
He navigated the next bend and and sent the car gently into your father's garage.
"That is a dangerous hobby to have brother."
"Then find me a better one." He says finally before leaving the car.
...........
A few minutes later you take a shower and change out of the sweat soaked clothes you were wearing while your brother prepared a simple meal.
Having nothing to do you decide to fire up your laptop and log into your online gaming account which was made up of only ten members with four regular members aside yourself. The chatroom was still loading when an ad poster that a group member had posted grabbed your attention.
Do you want a VR game with a 100% realism
Are you bored of reality and long for adventure and danger?
Do you long for the magic and steel of a bygone era?
Then click here to play neiser today.
The ad put up a banner of a dragon circling the sun above a green button that said SUBSCRIBE.
"A 100% reality?" You type on the chatroom
"Do you guys think that is true?"
"Of course it's not sister." Dr one hundred typed back
"They are just blowing hot air. No one has that sort of technology yet."
"I don't really think that is entirely true brother." Alligator (the guy who posted the ad) countered
"Could be that the game makers have found some way to make it possible. If they had not would they advertise it?"
"Do you know what a hundred percent realism is?" Bumble rose, another chatter typed
"It means you can use your five sense and more in the game."
"And that kind of tech is impossible to invent?" Gazerbeam the last regular member typed.
BUMBLE ROSE: Of course. Even if it was invented, do you think it will be stuck as a video game?
You have to admit he did have a point there. Who on earth would keep such technology as a video game when even you could see the practical use in many other things? Isn't such technology best left to the military and educational sectors?
ALLIGATOR: Well I still insist that the game exsit and I can prove it.
YOU: Prove it? How?
ALLIGATOR: I work in the customer service department of the company that is producing the game and I guarantee you that if you click the subscription button on the ad you will receive your own VR set and be able to log in when the game opens for beta testing.
GAZERBEAM: Beta testing? The game is not yet available for the general public?"
ALLIGATOR: Not yet but when it does open it will operate on a twelve hours basis that will be absolutely contrary to our time.
YOU: So in other words day here will be night there and night there will be day here?
ALLIGATOR: Pretty much.
You scroll back to the ad and your cursor lingers on the subscription button while your go over the three most likely events that could possibly occur. These were
A scam
A prank and
The truth
While it may be true that this could be a scam, you fail to see how this could be the case when this unknown member had not asked you for anything and even if it was a scam that was made to download some type of accessing virus into your computer, could it really hold up against the numerous antiviruses that your paranoid father and brother has set up?
So saying you clicked on the subscription button and a page appeared
Thank you for choosing NEISER
'That is it?' You wonder
'This had better not be a prank'
On the other hand you know that if this was real not only will it change the face of technology but it will give an extra twelve hours which was supposed to be for sleeping.
Wait twelve hours of no sleep?
Your lips curved into a smile
YOU: Alligator sir can I ask for one more set?"