Words zipped past Reg's view in his augmented reality as he read an eBook in class. He'd managed to program in his reading speed which allowed him to speed read through just about any book.
“Reggie, are you paying attention?” asked the teacher.
Miss Hooper, a tall blonde woman who looks about ready for a mid-life crisis by wearing jeans and a really tacky turtle neck sweater to a high school. Reg turned off his book feed of Advanced Survival Techniques: Deserts and cocked an eyebrow.
“Yeah, I guess so.” sighed Reg.
Miss Hooper smiled dryly and turned back to the LED screen wall she was delicately writing on with a stylus. A lesson plan on beginning Calculus. Reg rolled his eyes and thought “Already read two books on Calculus, and even theoretical physics”.
Bored after a moment with the lesson plan, he straightened himself in his classroom integration chair. All he'd have to do to learn anything he wanted to know was use his neural up-link to sync with the school's galactic internet connection, key in a couple search terms, and upload the information to his brain.
Hell he could learn to be a five star chef in under a week if he really wanted to be. Reading was just something to keep occupied while he had to be forced to dredge himself to school every day. Most days he doesn't even learn anything from the classes.
“You're not actually paying attention, are you Reggie?”
Putting his hands on his temple, his frustration showed. Reg had always been ahead of the curve but for some reason the adults who were somehow in charge of him felt the need to drag him slowly through this muck of social awkwardness.
He could have taken an apprenticeship for building matter manipulators, but no. This washed up old hag wants to teach him about something he's known about since twelve.
“I'm sorry Miss Hooper but I'm not. I can't. Everything you're covering was in two lesson plans I uploaded already, and I've even read two books on Calculus, and another on theoretical physics. I'm racking my brain trying to figure out why you won't let me skip high school altogether. Hell, what's the point of it at all?”
Looking around the room, he realized he was one of three kids sitting a room of twenty CIC's. One girl sat with her eyes glued to the floor, while the other was a boy who looked like he was filling out a worksheet on his augmented reality by waving his hand in the air as if to write out the problem.
Miss Hooper stood up straight and sighed. Shaking her head, she put her hand on Reg's black hair and ruffled it.
“There is a point of you being here Reggie. No one doubts that you can learn whatever you want. You're here because you refuse to apply that knowledge in any functional manner.”
Reg held his breath a moment and tried to hold back the anger within him. There were so many holes in her argument he had to try not to laugh. It wasn't hard.
“Apply the knowledge? How am I applying knowledge by repeating problems over and over again just so you can say I know how to apply it? I never asked for your opinion of my ability, now did I?”
Miss Hooper pushed down on his head and really ruffled his hair.
“You have no idea what life is like. We put you here because we've seen more life than you, and we know what you'll need to be a functional part of society.”
Reg had heard enough. Grabbing his brown messenger bag, he swatted her hand away from his head and stood up. Without a word, he made his way out of the room.
“Where are you going?! Class is not dismissed mister!”
Placing the strap over his shoulder, he stuck his hands in his white cotton hoodie and stormed out. Automatic doors beeped over and over as he passed. A clean white hallway with small black square projectors jutting out from the walls. Classroom numbers with information on class currently in session appeared next to the doors on his augmented reality feed.
“Reginald Bower you get back here this instant!”
A scowl washed over Reg's face. He'd had just about enough of adults telling him what to do. Loading the school's main server hub, he bypassed the firewall and installed a small virus file to the school's speaker system. Immediately the lights dimmed and the halls filled with a slow and somber violin solo. Turning back to Miss Hooper, she looked at him in surprise.
Reg whipped around and walked backwards, mocking her by pretending to play the world's smallest violin. Her slender face filled with rage as she stormed back into the classroom. Laughing and righting himself, turned back around to head towards the elevator. As he reached the end of the hall where he would make his descent he pulled up a feed of the school's suborbital camera.
Every week he had to take a shuttle out of the atmosphere to take classes on the Glasgow Federation Space Station. Staying there Monday through Friday was as awful as it sounds. At least on the weekends he could explore worlds with his virtual reality.
Titan IV had the most beautiful jungles. Thankfully in virtual reality bugs and diseases aren't an issue. Since the Glasgow Federation began terraforming planets for habitation they learned to scan the environments with pinpoint precision. This drove a whole host of tourism-themed VR games that basically let you explore their world sans people for free.
Most people would travel there to see more of the culture, but Reg was more interested in the evolution of plant and animal life on terraformed planets. A species of deer that could camouflage itself based on it's surroundings evolved on Titan IV. They say Legacy Prime could evolve a neanderthal type species over the next millennia.
The elevator dinged and pulled Reg out of his reverie. Sixteen and he had already explored so much in life through the wonders of technology. Stepping into the elevator he signaled it towards the hangar bay. His friend Germain ran cargo to the space station every day and would gladly give him a ride back whenever. Beats waiting for the weekend shuttle.
Quiet soothing music played over the elevator speaker as Reg pondered his next move. It was still only ten o' clock standard time so he probably had a while before Germain even showed up with his daily delivery. His AR feed signaled a hint at possible suggestions in text out of the corner of his eye.
[\Suggestions/]
1) Contact Germain to find his delivery schedule, then decide next course of action
2) Wait for Germain at the hangar, consume various media
3) Order Pizza, Win at Life
That last one was programmed to always show up for a giggle. Although contacting Germain wouldn't be terribly difficult... thought Reg. If it weren't for the school then hearing our every word and sending security to detain me before I could leave. Maybe two and three are appropriate.
With the decision made, Reg continued his course towards the shuttle hangar. There he could ask where the delivery bay was so he could wait for a non-existent package from Germain's shipment. Maybe he can even get a time from someone so he can go check out the arcade. Credits weren't an issue when you knew how to just bypass the payment system altogether to play.
At least he didn't take tickets out for prizes if he did it that way. Reg was an honest hacker. The elevator dinged and doors opened to a dirty looking hallway. Grease marks littered the steel floors and walls. Two men in overalls stood talking over coffee at a gravity manipulation machine.
“Excuse me gentlemen, I'm looking for...” Grabbing a piece of paper out of his pocket, Reg pretended to read something from it. “Shuttle 8221, Germain Lasko... They didn't give me a time but the package is a condenser for robotics class and my teacher says I need it today. Can you help?”
One man turned his head to Reg and cocked an eyebrow. Reg knew this man and he presented a new host of problems with this entire plan. A smug look formed on his baby chiseled face, which looked somewhat grotesque considering his tan complexion and bald head.
"Ey, Toby check it out. Reg here thinks he's gonna get info outa us." laughing like the tool he was, Vince tapped his ring finger on the steel arm of the gravity manipulator. The other man turned back to Reg to find what he saw to be a completely honest looking young man.
"Oh, so ye're Reg?" said the bearded ginger man. He had a slight Irish mafia accent. "Aye gimme a sec lad I'll pull up the manifest."
Vince's face tightened up as if he'd just been betrayed. "Yo yo yo Toby! What'd I tell you about this punk?! He's a no good-"
Toby turned and pointed at Vince with a pointedness that stopped his Italian rant in it's tracks. "Now ye listen here Vincent I've asked ye to stop calling me Toby and no I will not call you Vinny! I don't know this fine young lad, 'tis true. But I do know you Vince and ye're a right arse at times ye know that."
Reg tried his best to keep a straight face. Vince had ruined more than a few hustles he'd do at the arcade for some spare credits. Toby turned around and smiled through a big bushy beard.
"He'll be droppin' by around three federation time. Good luck on ye're robotics class then."
A smile lit up Reg's face. It was rare for him to have an ally against all the adults that constantly tried to keep him in line.
"Thank you, sir... What's your full name if I may ask?"
"Tobias, Thank ye for askin'."
Reg bowed his head slightly with a smile and awkwardly went about his way. A message icon appeared on his augmented reality. Opening it, it was from a Tobias Miller.
[Tobias->: Do your pal Germain a favor and don't linger about the hangar when his shipment arrives. Best to message him what you need before you just show up. Sometimes the federation has him haul security supplies and the like. You understand, eh boyo?]
Staring at the message a moment, Reg realized he stopped dead in his tracks. A thought appeared in his mind that he didn't like. Something didn't feel right now. What could Germain have gotten himself into?
[R/Tobias->: Good point I'll keep that in mind. Thanks again!]
Too many possibilities raced through Reg's mind. Could he have been conscripted into slave trade? What if it was the federation at the head? What if he honestly is just hauling security supplies and a random child wouldn't have security clearance?
Though some seemed more likely than others, they were still things to consider. As soon as he could he needed to get a hold of Germain. For now, he needed to figure out what to do for three hours.
After pondering for a moment where he could lay low for a while, he realized there were a small list of places they wouldn't look for him during class. The arcade would be the first place they'd look. Then probably the Reality Bender's Cafe. Where would they never look for him?
Snapping his fingers he grinned wickedly. He knew exactly where they wouldn't look for him. Not in a million years.
#####
Sipping the square low ball glass, it glowed with the natural green hue of a Pyrathian Wood Worm. Reg coughed heartily as the drink hit the back of his throat. The bartender cocked an eyebrow and laughed.
"Not used to gin? It's ok not everyone likes a mouth full of christmas tree. At least the wood worm adds that wonderful minty flavor."
Reg's face scrunched at the bitterness of the drink. He'd faked his way into a few bars before and tried some things. Mostly fruity stuff. Now he may have gotten himself in a bit too deep. Thankfully it was earlier in the day and the electronic music that blasted far too much bass was turned down for the most part.
"No gin's never been my thing. I always said I should get used to it in case some day the only thing left is victory gin."
With a shake of his head and a chuckle, the bartender turned his epic beard away to tap a beer. Placing it and pushing a button in the air, he left an e-ticket attached to the drink to show what table the waitress in pasties and a thong would bring the drink to.
"What a concept man. Big brother is always watching. They gave that up after the twenty-second century when they realized people were far more boring and stupid than they had hoped for."
When scoping out a place to lay low Reg had his doubts about going to a skin bar. He still looked incredibly young and faking a government ID electronically or not can get you in a lot of trouble. Now he was happy he did if he could have a meaningful conversation with the bartender.
"Pfft I think they still do monitor us. It's just... What are they gonna do with that information? I'm not running for political office any time soon so what smear campaign are they gonna do against a guy who doesn't even have his own vlog?"
Grabbing a bottle of gin, the bartender began pouring another drink. He gave Reg an odd look.
"Dude you're in high school and you don't have a vlog?"
Reg had to think for a moment. Does that mean this guy is willingly serving a minor? Or trying to bait me to get me in trouble? The bartender picked up on his uneasiness and laughed.
"Don't worry Reg. You may not have a vlog but you're known by pretty much the entire station dude. I'd always hoped to have a chance to meet you I just never imagined so young."
That meant so many things. There was no where Reg could go without being known. Does that mean Tobias knew more about him than Vince had told him?
"How do you know I'm not working with the feds to catch bartenders who serve minors?"
The man rolled his eyes and topped off the drink he was working on with grenadine and a cherry.
"Well, I guess you caught me then. Except there's no gin in that drink. Although that is a real wood worm and yes it's secretions do taste like mint and juniper."
A guffaw escaped Reg as he eyed a waitress walking along the other side of the center room bar. The only downfall to this place was his teenage hormones were going absolutely wild. He was always too busy with logic to remember his hormones.
"Well I guess I thank you for the experience. Why serve me... What's your name sir?"
Extending his hand, Reg looked at the man with respect. It wasn't often that a person was willing to give him even a glimpse into the adult world.
"Call me Eric. Eh, some of us believe you'll see the real world eventually. Why not give you a head start? The question is what level of experience did you come in here for there Reg?"
Reg's face turned beet red and he felt his vision blur slightly. His mind raced with possibility. He'd certainly been interested in women at an early age. What kid with access to the internet isn't?
"I mean... That wasn't what I had in mind coming in here. Truth be told it's just the last place they'd look for me while I'm skipping out on school."
Turning to the other side of the bar, Eric responded to the request of another patron. Reg looked around the room and noticed the servers eyeing him strangely as they walked by. Something told him they were curious. What kind of curious he couldn't be sure.
"Where were we?" resumed Eric, throwing a shaker in the sink. "Right. I get skipping school man. What experiences in life are you having if you're being drug through things you're not interested in?"
Reg's eyes lit up. His drink was starting to effect him in strange ways. Vision began to blur and colors grew brighter. This idea that a bartender understood his plight was more than intriguing to him. It excited him in a way he'd never been before.
"That's what I'm saying! Seriously we can upload anything to our brains Matrix style and we still have to go to High School?! Do I look like a simpleton?!"
Eric cocked an eyebrow at the enthusiasm.
"I see the wood worm is getting to you." chuckled Eric. "Let me tell you Reg, based on the talk around the station no one thinks you're a simpleton. But there is one thing you don't seem to fully understand yet."
Reg got angry. Angrier than he'd ever been in his life. Pyrathian wood worm must enhance emotional responses across all spectrums. Eric raised his hands to signal Reg to calm down.
"Listen. It's not that we think you can't handle it. It's that you've shown that you don't get it. Let me do my best to illustrate for you Reg."
Eric searched the room between empty booths and servers standing around waiting for patrons. Finally he found a booth with a man and a server. Reg turned in curiousity to see what Eric might be looking for.
"That man is one of our top patrons. He comes in every other day at least and asks for Veronica by name. He's a successful business man who deals in contracts for medical supplies between the station and intergalactic companies. Every other girl here resents Veronica for it because she has one of the few steady clients this space station has to offer."
Leaning forward and tapping Reg on the shoulder, Eric signalled Reg to look him in the eyes.
"What do you think of that situation just knowing that information alone?"
Reg rolled his eyes and thought a moment. Turning around and gazing upon the two giving each other bedroom eyes, Reg tried to compile a judgement in his mind.
"I'd say there's nothing inherently wrong with it I guess. Seems like a simple business arrangement to me."
Reg sipped his drink and tried his best not to cough. Eric nodded and thought for a moment.
"Let me give you some updated information then. That man is married with two children and he and his wife have publicly stated they are monogomous. I happen to know through the grapevine that he has also been shirking his duties to his kids to come spend time with Veronica."
Reg turned back around and saw the two kissing passionately in the booth. The man started to touch her on the thigh and she began to move her hand slowly down towards his crotch.
"As you can see, it's not just a friendly relationship between server and patron. He has done and will continue to cheat on his wife with Veronica. Oh, and remember how I said the rest of the staff doesn't like Veronica? They've gone so far as to give homeless men the money to have a session with her in the hopes of giving her a sexually transmitted disease."
Reg placed his drink on the wood counter in front of him and held his jaw open in disbelief. Eric pointed at Reg seriously.
"It gets worse. They aren't doing it to sabotage her, they're doing it to sabotage him. Fine. I get it. He's a sleaze. But Veronica has a six-year-old of her own and that's the only reason she continues her affair because that man is paying to support her child."
Reg's mind raced to strange corners. The wood worm made him feel things more intensely and he no longer knew what he was feeling.
"Think about it Reg. If she got an STD her career here would be over. You can't work in a skin bar and get respectable customers if you're not clean. If she wanted to continue down that career path she'd have to become a corporate escort just to have her record wiped clean and corporate escorts have a dangerous job."
All Reg could think was it's too much. Eric seemed to recognize this inability to handle the weight of it all. Eric picked up the glass from in front of him and pat him on the shoulder.
"You wanted to be part of adult reality? The welcoming committee usually looks like the majority of people you encounter in life giving you the middle finger. That's what you don't seem to get."
Mixing together another drink, Eric placed a red sparkling soda with a cherry and lime wedge on the counter for Reg.
"Here. No alcohol or anything and it'll help dilute the effects of the wood worm. Listen dude I know a bartender seems like the last person you'd learn valuable life knowledge from, but that's kind of how life works. If what you've just been told about the lives of only 2 people bothers you that much, then maybe school is where you belong. If nothing else it gives you time to ease into the real world."
Reg thought about it for a moment. At least now the reason they wanted it made sense. Still, he couldn't shake that school wasn't where he belonged.
"How do you deal with it?"
That question took Eric off guard. He had to think for a moment.
"I mean... Alcohol helps. Weed helps. Stims help. But truthfully the only thing that really makes it better is knowing that my life is my own and I can choose to not let things bother me. It's all perspective. If I stick to my own, things tend to be a lot easier to deal with."
Reg laughed at the idea of using stims to help with depression.
"Stims huh? Aren't they just kinda band-aids? Don't really fix the problem?"
Eric nodded and chuckled.
"Of course they don't fix the problem." Eric paused for a moment. Scratching his beard. "There are days you go home and just want to plop in bed and sleep for a day because life is so depressing. Instead of sleeping, I take a stim and try to do something productive. Hit up the V-Rcade or play some paintball with my friends. Beats sleeping the day away."
Something didn't sit right with Reg in that thinking.
"Aren't stims illegal for a reason? Studies have shown it's kinda shaky how all those injected chemicals impact your long term emotional stability."
Eric rolled his eyes and turned around to help a customer on the other side of the bar. Reg pondered for a moment why he'd roll his eyes. Sipping the cherry cordial, it was sweet with a light hint of a bitter berry.
"Hey Reg, come on over here." Signaling from the other side of the bar, Eric held his hand on the counter while he talked with a sharp looking dark-skinned man at the bar. Reg picked up his drink and made his way to a seat next to the man.
"Hi young man, my name's Carlton. I'm a sales rep for Tatt-corp pharmaceuticals." Extending his hand with a smile, Carlton seemed like a genuine guy. Reg shook his hand and put his drink down at the bar while sitting.
"Tatt-Corp huh? How you like it there?"
Reg had to hold his tongue. He was never a big fan of the corporatism of the Glasgow Federation.
"Absolutely fuckin' hate it. It's true I make bank, but I've seen what their products have done to people."
Eric washed a couple glasses at the sink not far from the two as they talked. Reg laughed and shook his head.
"Then why do it?"
Carlton picked up the low ball glass of white liquid and shot the whole thing. Eric immediately began making another.
"I would say are you kidding me, but you actually are. I don't expect you to know this part of life yet and I am quite thankful for that but it's a dangerous job. I've got family. Husband, adopted kids, and even my neighbors could be at risk if I left for any reason."
By this point in the conversation Reg realized it would be better for him to listen than to comment. Carlton had a long awkward moment and sadness crept onto his face. Reg started to notice tears swell up in his eyes as Eric placed two more drinks in front of him.
"Thanks Eric..." he said barely audibly while downing a shot. Regaining his composure, he straightened his tie.
"He tells me you need help understanding why you're in school. Truth is I can't tell you staying in school is a good thing. I don't-"
Eric raised a hand and interrupted him.
"Excuse the interruption, but you've dealt with enough heavy today. Let me handle this one Carlton. Take a load off man."
Carlton nodded and his eyes glazed over. He was no longer paying attention to the world. He was in his own mind now.
"Look, Reg. A lot of people care about you. Their goal is to keep you safe and to help you go out into the universe handling yourself. As you can see from our friend Carlton, it's not an easy place to be."
Reg sipped his drink and pondered what these two men taught him. He sighed and looked at Eric seriously.
"I totally get that and I appreciate the sentiment. But let me help you understand where I'm coming from." Reg pulled up a recipe on his Augmented Reality for his favorite drink of all time.
Standing up, Reg walked his way behind the bar and began grabbing bottles to the protest of Eric.
"Dude there's cameras. Do you know how much-" Reg held up a hand with a serious look.
Eric just laughed and leaned on the counter. Watching with amazement, Reg grabbed bottles and poured each shot with care into a shaker. Grabbing whipped cream and filling the shaker, he shook it up with a scoop of ice.
"I can look up anything I want to know. I've never made this drink before, but I've had it made for me. Augmented reality means I don't need a device to look at to make it happen. As far as you know I've done this a million times, right?"
Eric cackled like a mad man and clapped his hands.
"This is awesome. I see why people talk about you Reggie."
Reg nodded and poured the green drink into three low ball glasses gingerly.
"Here fellas, have one on ol' Reggie." Placing the glasses in front of Carlton, it pulled him out of his stupor.
Picking up the green creamy drink, he stared at it in the glass for a moment.
"What the fuck is this frilly shit?"
Reg looked at him and leaned on the bar with a snarky attitude.
"That my friend is called a Scooby Snack."
Eric and Carlton looked at each other and busted a gut. After they calmed down, Reg raised a glass.
"To new experiences in life!" Toasted Reg before shooting the drink. Eric and Carlton followed shortly after, each with a pleasant look on their faces.
"Listen fellas. I've learned more about the real world in the, oh hour I've been here talking to the two of you, than I have the entire semester sitting in a room watching a lady force feed me lesson plans on things I can look up at any time. That's my perspective."
Eric cocked an eyebrow and lost his mind to thoughts. A patron from the other side of the bar hollered for him and Reg blushed. Hastily walking out from behind the bar, he sat back down next to Carlton.
"You're an amazing kid you know that?" commented Carlton.
Shaking his head, Eric finished with his other patron, collected the drink glasses and tossed them into the sink for later cleaning. Draping a drying towel over his shoulder, he stroked his beard while leaning on the counter.
"Quite an act you've got going. Impressive, I must say. One problem. It's not that easy." said Eric, looking lost in thought.
Reg looked at Carlton who looked too lost in his own mind to be much for conversation.
"I really wish it was that simple. The universe you'll be going out to isn't explainable in any rational manner. If I had to sum it up in as few words as possible it would be Corporate Dystopia."
Reg felt himself feel something he never thought he would. His entire view of the universe he lived in shifted. Sure, he'd had some ideas of how heavily corporations influenced his every day life.
Two words had somehow solidified something in his mind.
"Um... Really?"
Eric cocked and eyebrow and chuckled to himself a little.
"Well, yeah. Tatt-Corp practically built the Glasgow Federation from the ground up. I mean, the Federation exports ninety percent of Tatt-Corp's trade practically tax-free." Eric punched an order into the terminal next to him as he spoke.
"He's right, kid. Here's a couple facts for ya, look em up if you want. Tatt-Corp's main money maker is it's pharmaceuticals. Even Cline Co-Op buys from Tatt-Corp, despite rising conflicts between the two." Carlton chimed in.
Reg listened intently and decided to take his suggestion by looking up information as he detailed it.
"Here's one that will blow your mind. Look up the most grown crop per-acre by Tatt-Corp on terrestrial land developments." Carlton signaled Eric for another drink and waited for Reg to find the information.
"No shit... Coca plants?"
Eric walked over to the counter and put down a low ball of whiskey over ice in front of Carlton. Waving his hand back and forth, he looked at Reg with concern.
"Hold up. Are you saying Tatt-Corp's main crop is Coca? Like cocaine?"
Carlton took a long sip of whiskey and nodded his head.
"Dude, wanna know the saddest part? Look up the rest of them. Don't look up export lists, those are doctored. Look up crops per acre on terrestrial farms. That's how they get around it. No average person looks up crops grown. They look up exports. So when they market their output to potential large buyers, they can still show their numbers publicly."
Eric stood in disbelief. Reg began half-swearing as he looked up another corporation.
"Cline Co-Op is boring. Theirs is just weed. Get this though, it gets so much worse." Reg had to take a moment before he could continue.
Carlton eyed him a moment and followed his eyes as they darted around, viewing information only he could see.
"So, I looked up the main crop for Jeffries-Corp and it seemed extremely strange. Corn. It was corn. Who even uses corn for anything anymore? Among this huge list of corporations all using seemingly shady tactics and they're growing corn? Well, apparently they use them to-"
Carlton's eyes grew wide and he coughed loudly.
"Whatever thought you're having, don't finish it. Please. There are things that are not safe to say out loud son. You won't learn that mistake twice. Trust me."
Reg rolled his eyes.
"What you don't want to hear my joke? I was going to say they were manipulating the stalk market… Get it? Stalk market!"
Carlton rubbed his face with his hands. Eric leaned back and rubbed his chin with a distant look in his eyes. A small chuckle escaped him.
"Hey, I did tell you it gets so much worse."
Reg eyed the other end of the bar to find a gentleman in a suit and tie holding back a laugh. He needed to know what he was laughing at. Pulling up a basic tech radar protocol, he sent a ghost ping through the local network to see if he could spot the guy's neural interface connection.
Sure enough, the radar sent back a packet filled with data on his current apps open, and even a screenshot of his vision at the time of pinging. He was listening to their conversation through an audio booster. Reg wondered if he was being followed, or if an agent was following Carlton.
Either way his conversation just had a huge mute button hit on it. Checking the time on his AR he realized Germain was going to be arriving soon. Perhaps it was best to get down near the delivery bay and wait for him anyway.
