Solid State Rhyme: A Novelette (Mandate)

by Harbour, J. S.

  Alan thought his bright son could ace a class while sleeping through it, but he still worried about Daniel's late night gaming. It was a frustrating challenge, trying to relate to his son's commitment to his computer—and on that issue, Daniel had never lost an argument. Alan regularly found himself bested by his son’s prediction: one day he would make a ton of money as a software engineer or systems analyst or roboticist. But that didn’t improve his dad's skepticism.

  “But, Dad,” Daniel repeated often, “I'm not just playing games; I'm writing code, running experiments!”

  Alan had finally resigned his attempts to take an active part in his son's hobby, since he was unable to “speak the language.”

  Rachel, on the other hand, was more worried about her son.

  “Alan, it's not about his computer . . . uh, time . . . but his social development, dear. As far as I know, Daniel has never had a girlfriend or even a crush.”

  “What if you drive him away?” Alan chided.

  “What if he grows up socially inadequate?” she said. “Dear,” she said, “your laid-back attitude will be the ruin of our kids. We must be more pro-active.”

  “Dearest,” he replied, diplomatically, “Daniel is not much different than I was at his age. Remember—I'm sure I mentioned this—how I used to draft my family into mock trials in our living room? I ate, drank, and slept for the gavel!”

  “Bollocks to your sappy childhood, Alan! I'm talking about today. Right now!” Rachel scowled, a bit upset with herself for the outburst. Before she could say more, Alan grabbed her by the waist and said, “Don't be so cheeky, dear. You were not my first girlfriend. I wouldn’t worry too much about—”

  “Fit lad that you are, we don't know yet how our son will turn out!”

  Alan sighed loudly. Assuming the discussion was over on an ambiguous note, Rachel said, “How can I not worry about my son?”

  “One day, perhaps in college, he’ll meet a girl just like you . . . someone who will appreciate his eccentric nature, see his true self. And she'll love him.”

  It was impossible for Rachel to keep a temper after such smooth talking. She shrugged away. “We need to set down some rules in this house. How do you expect Daniel to keep up his grades when he stays up so late on school nights?” She visibly flinched at the hollow threat, knowing how silly she sounded, even to herself. She bit her lip and frowned, arms crossed.

  Alan peered around the corner into the kitchen from the hallway where they were talking. He whispered, “Honey, not so loud! You know very well that he's at the top of his class, across the board. If not number one then in the top five percent. He's not challenged by the traditional curriculum. I think it's great that he loves computers and robotics. I don't want to discourage him by interfering with parenting limits.”

  Rachel sat on the sofa, looking agitated. She took a while to calm herself after getting worked up. She finally collected her thoughts, whispered, “Alan, I agree with you there, but he's also a teenager without a developed routine. He can't keep up the pace and maintain his grades. Do you know where he wants to go?”

  “For college, you mean?”

  “I . . . I assumed,” Alan said, unconvincingly, “the local—”

  “Oh, bollocks that local college!” she said. “It's a right waste of his talent. You should be paying attention to the children, Alan!”

  He felt his own temper rising over the insult and looked away.

  “Sorry. That was . . . uncalled for.”

  Alan nodded.

  “I'm talking about Cambridge. That's where Daniel needs to go.”

  “My word!” Alan said, suddenly feeling caught off guard. “Cambridge!”

  “Mom?” Jade said, peering around the corner from the kitchen. “If you're trying to talk about us without us hearing, you're failing miserably.”

  Daniel appeared behind her, looking amused.

  “You're right, honey,” Rachel said, glaring at Alan as she returned to the kitchen, trailed by Alan. As she rounded the corner, she was cheerful. “Ready to go?”

  Jade spoke up, “Mom, Daniel didn't make me a lunch—again!”

  Daniel bristled at the accusation. Alan saw the look on his son's face as he walked into the kitchen, and decided there might be a little too much stress in the family. Maybe it was time for a vacation. He said, “That's okay, honey. I'll make your lunch from now on.”

  Chapter 2

  Daniel was reading some notes while walking toward the computer science hall when he bumped into very pretty girl who immediately caused him to blush.

  “So sorry, uh . . . .”

  “Emma,” she said, holding out her hand in greeting. “Emma Murphy.”

  “Oh, hiya, Emma,” he stammered, taking her hand lightly. She's so soft! “Uh, I wasn't watching.”

  Emma gave him a puzzled look. “Hiya. Uh, aren't you in Ms. Stewart's English class?”

  Daniel was about to resume his trek to class, and paused. “Um, no, I don’t think so. I was just heading for Mr. Robathan's class.” He made eye contact for the first time, surprised that she was interested in a conversation. When their eyes met, he stopped breathing, his mouth making an O shape. Her eyes were the color of crystal-clear blue water.

  She must be the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on! And she's just inches away . . . .

  “Robathan?” Emma said, tapping a forefinger on her chin. “That name sounds familiar. What's he teach?”

  “Computers? Computer science?” Daniel replied, feeling lame.

  Emma's eyes brightened, “Oh, yeah! Well, duh, I'm in his class! I just . . . forgot his name, is all.” She giggled.

  Daniel’s heart began to race. He was not used to speaking at length with girls. Most of the time they ignored him because he ignored them, entirely engrossed in his work. “The term just started, so that's understandable. I'm glad to meet you . . . Emma.”

  Saying her name made him feel funny inside.

  Daniel was entranced by her beautiful mouth and decided he would trade a year of his life for a kiss. She was standing so close, her perfume was intoxicating. He took a sudden breath and had difficulty speaking. She had shoulder-length brown hair with bangs, and her arms were thin, while she had shapely legs. She wore a light-blue button-up silk blouse with gold trim and a short dark-blue silk skirt. Her left ear sported a triple-studded blue topaz pendant and in her right was a small topaz flower. They matched her eyes brilliantly.

  “Nice to meet you too, Daniel!”

  Daniel suddenly felt a surge of confidence. Gesturing to her pendant, he said, “Uh, Emma, that's beautiful.”

  “Thank you!”

  “Let me guess?”

  Emma tilted her head and smiled. “Guess what?”

  “Capricorn?”

  Her smile broadened and she stood on her toes for a moment to say, “Sagittarius! But good guess.”

  She's an Archer!

  Daniel's eyes went wide. He had to stop himself from staring at her lips, fearing that she would notice. “Wow,” he whispered.

  “Wow what, mister?”

  “Oh, it's just that, well, you're an Archer. It's the only Zodiac symbol for role players.”

  “Archer, huh?” Emma said. She didn't say so aloud but that was so geeky. She loved geeky. “That's right brill, Daniel.”

  “By the way,” he added, not wanting the conversation to end. “Are you ready for the project on Friday?”

  Emma's facial muscles tightened, “Right! How are we supposed to do anything in the first week of class?”

  Daniel grimaced inside, but failed to hide his expression.

  Emma said, “What? You mean you're done already?”

  “Well, yeah, I guess. I don't know if it'll work,” he lied, “but at least I've got something to turn in.” He winced at the unintended boast.

  Emma frowned, but not distastefully, and then said, “Do you think you could help me with mine? I don't even know where to start!”

  Daniel replied
, “Sure, I guess. How much do you have done?”

  Emma gave him an apologetic look, and then said, “Actually, I haven't gotten past the example in class.”

  Daniel smiled, “Sure, let's team up.”

  “Lovely,” Emma replied, as they headed in the same direction to class.

  *

  Two days later, it was Friday, and Mr. Robathan addressed his students. “The time has come to present your projects. How many of you are ready to go today?”

  Numerous hands went up, Daniel's among them. Emma hesitated, then raised her hand as she looked to Daniel who nodded.

  Mr. Robathan said, “Very well. The rest of you can turn in your projects tomorrow, but we won't have time to watch your demonstrations in class.”

  Emma spoke up, “Mr. Robathan? Today’s Friday, remember?”

  “Oh, of course,” Mr. Robathan said. He stood silently for a few seconds. “Right, Monday it is. As I told you yesterday, the presentations will be a test run. So, it looks like you’ll have the weekend to finish or improve your work by 9/13. Remember, Monday the 13th, not the week after! No more extensions.”

  Daniel was preoccupied reading news on a robotics site, his mind flagging only key words spoken by Mr. Robathan. He could recall the teacher's lecture if pressed for it, but his attention was on his favorite news site. He fancied himself as a cutting-edge roboticist developing the world's first truly independently mobile A.I. He dreamed of waking one morning to learn one of his robots had left the house to go explore the world.

  Several students in the back were making noise, their muffled whispers and laughter rising in pitch. Mr. Robathan said, “Hey, cut it out back there, guys.” They looked up, unaware that they had been overheard, and quickly sat up.

  A message flashed across Daniel's desktop. “Prepare To Die!” Then, a firecracker appeared on his screen, fuse burning, and shortly exploded into virtual confetti.

  Mr. Robathan said, “Daniel, could you keep it down please! I'd like to get something accomplished here today.”

  Daniel turned around in his seat and looked back at the three chaps who were goofing off. One of them winked at him, gesturing an explosion with his hands, and the other two burst out in laughter, then quickly shut up.

  A wry smile crossed Daniel’s face as a counter-attack plan resolved in his mind.

  “Class,” Mr. Robathan said, trying to ignore the commotion, “send your projects to my folder and we'll get started.”

  Daniel was ready. His artificial lifeforms were multi-generational. Instead of running “dumb” programs along with the others, Daniel's program had been running now for days, accumulating memory, and storing the best features of each generation. His simulated organisms were far superior to those of his classmates, he was certain.

  The computer science teacher began loading each student's program into a virtual ecosystem he had designed for the project, a habitat for the a-life programs of the entire class. “Okay, class, the sim is starting up, so shift your view to the public visual I've shared.”

  Suddenly, classical music erupted from the back of the room, accompanied by explosive sound effects. One of the three troublemakers frantically tried to cut the volume on his desk but it was non-responsive. Daniel pretended not to hear the ruckus.

  “That's quite enough!” Mr. Robathan said forcefully.

  In a moment of panic, the student whose desk had erupted reached beneath his desk and yanked out the power cord, thus killing the wild panacea of sound. Daniel fought to control the laughter churning within him.

  “Thank you,” Mr. Robathan appended, after regaining his composure.

  Daniel copied his program to the teacher's folder, and Mr. Robathan dropped it into the ecosystem with a few others. After the last one was inserted, Mr. Robathan tapped an icon on his desk to begin the simulation. The class watched on their desks as it began—slowly at first—and collectively gasped and cheered as their creations began moving, interacting with the environment.

  Although this was not supposed to be a test of aggression, the teacher expected it. Competition among students was fierce when it came to basic instincts like survival, understanding that adolescents would puppet their aggravations and insecurities into the lifeforms. Each student would relate personally to his or her creations. Mr. Robathan had instructed them to imagine that they were gen-engineering real animals, and try to find a balance in which the life forms could interact. But, expecting a circle of life as in nature was unrealistic when he knew each of his students had a Tyrannosaurus Rex in mind.

  Daniel sat back and watched, a confident smile on his face. He knew his creatures would win because they were bred to win. They were subjected to the most difficult opponents he could devise and had beaten them all. His code was unstoppable—miles ahead of the rest of the class, he was certain.

  Chapter 3

  At first, the ecosystem was entirely too crowded, resembling a fish tank chock full of tiny fish. It was difficult to track any single creature even though each student was identified by a unique color.

  “Class,” Mr. Robathan said to get their attention. “You can focus on your own lifeforms by using a filter like . . . this,” he said while tapping an icon. Suddenly, all of the lifeforms for one student began to glow.

  “Those are mine!” a student by the name of Lawrence said a bit too loudly.

  Sporadic conversation and laughter broke out in the class as students experimented with the user interface of the simulation on their desks, highlighting their own. Those who were not prepared were sorely disappointed—as Mr. Robathan intended. Make the project fun and they will work hard to get it done on time so they don't miss their chance to compete.

  The simulation ran for ten minutes before anything noticeable happened. Some of the creatures were dwindling, obviously losing. Survival of the fittest was a simple enough concept, now seen in practice. Many of the programs were similar in design, and some students had even worked together on the project in an attempt to create a tougher creature.

  Daniel heard the three pranksters in the back of the room, who seemed particularly excited about something. They must be doing well, he thought. Then he saw something strange on the screen. At this point in the simulation, the dominant groups should be fighting for control of the ecosystem. Instead, it looked like creatures were disappearing without a fight, simply dying off.

  Daniel looked closer at the simulation, focusing on a rather docile creature designed by a student who had not put much effort into his work. It moved a few spaces then died without a fight.

  “Hey!” Emma hollered. “That's not fair!”

  Daniel looked toward Emma and sent her a message: “What is it?”

  She looked up toward Daniel. He raised his eyebrows inquisitively.

  Emma responded to his message, “Don't you see what's happening to our lit’l beasties?”

  Daniel frowned and quickly manipulated his desk to zoom in one a batch of their programs.

  Mr. Robathan walked over to Emma's desk and she showed him. Her creatures, scattered randomly in the simulation, surrounded by other life forms, were disappearing without a fight.

  “Hmm,” the teacher hummed. “That's odd. Maybe I can have a look at your program after class. I think it might need some work.”

  Emma shrugged, “Ugh! Whatever.”

  The three noisy chaps were cutting up in the back again. Daniel frowned at them, while Mr. Robathan said, “Last warning, fellas. Stop it now!”

  Daniel sent a message to the one known as Sybernetic, “What color are you?”

  “Take a guess,” he texted back.

  Sybernetic's friend Goofer said, “Daniel's all right, cut him a little slack.” Goofer turned to Daniel and whispered. “Red, green, and blue, man. Call us The Primaries!”

  Their third compatriot, Sly, nodded.

  Daniel looked at the screen, and wrote, “Sneaky.”

  Sly replied, “Just following the rules.”

  Daniel thought of the si
tuation, and wondered how his code would adapt to the obvious cheating. Their creatures were three in one, and therefore three times stronger than any other creature.

  Mr. Robathan addressed the class. “It looks like we're down to the last three contenders. Let's see . . . orange would be Wesley. Purple is . . . Daniel and Emma. And . . . oh, I guess we're only down to two! The tally seems to be wrong?” He frowned, rechecking the simulation from his admin controls. “It does show three species remaining, but . . . .”

  The students all sat upright in their seats to watch the final contest, although it wasn't supposed to be a fight at all. Daniel and Emma's creatures were overwhelming Wesley's. It would soon be over. A few minutes later, Wesley's last creature winked out. Everyone cheered for Daniel and Emma, whose lifeforms had eliminated the competition and could multiply without opposition. But that isn't quite how it played out. Instead, to everyone's surprise, Daniel and Emma's creatures started to die and vanish, without a fight. The teacher watched, puzzled. Daniel looked at Sybernetic and his two friends. All three were sitting quietly, seemingly mesmerized by their desks. Soon, Daniel and Emma were out.

  Mr. Robathan harrumphed. “Well, I guess we need to work on our programs a bit more since it appears they have all died.” After a pause, he said, “Daniel? Emma? What do you think went wrong in the end?”

  As Daniel was about to explain the disguise gimmick, a large number of new lifeforms suddenly appeared. They were eating and reproducing like normal, and, despite being three separate species, they cooperated. Everyone looked at the group of three in the back. Daniel dropped his head. His life forms should have taken out the disguised creatures despite the trick. He would have to work on his code.

  They must be more adaptable, able to handle situations like this!

  “That's not fair!” Emma challenged.

  “Yeah,” another student agreed. “We should run it again, without those three cheaters next time!”

  “Hey,” Sybernetic said, “tough luck. It's not our fault that your programs are daft!”

  “Okay, okay,” Mr. Robathan said. “Calm down, class.”