"Remember, an isotope merely refers to the number of neutrons in the element. If we were to change the number of protons inside of the atom, it would become a different element. The subscript tells you the element, due to this referring to the protons, and the superscript is the isotope. Carbon-12 means that there are six protons since it's Carbon and six neutrons." Mr. Samworth lectured the class.
Han glanced over at the clock and saw that the bell would be ringing at any moment. Being able to focus on the class and only noticing the time when it was close to being over said a lot about the teacher's abilities to be engaging.
One of the girls in the class raised her hand and spoke after being called on, "Mr. Samworth, an element can have a differing number of neutrons to become an isotope, and many of them we have created such as the one you mentioned, Cobalt-60." She waited until Mr. Samworth nodded his head for her to continue, "If we can create artificial isotopes, could we change an atom into another element? Couldn't we just take Carbon-12 and turn it into Gold-197?"
There was some snickering in the class reacting to the question their classmate asked, but Mr. Samworth's reaction was thoughtful. "This is something many civilizations have tried to acquire, such as the alchemists with turning Lead into Gold." Looking around the class, he continued, "Though the question of turning another element into gold sounds like fantasy or science fiction, Naomi has asked a good question. Carbon is one of the most abundant elements in the known universe, so imagine what civilization would be like if we could take such a common item and change it into Gold?" The class was silent as they thought about such a thing happening.
As Han listened to the teacher, he was fiddling around with his pencil. Hearing the question being asked, he grinned and casually covered the tip of the pencil which had a dull metallic look to it before transforming back to graphite.
A twinking chime was heard in the hallway to indicate that first period was concluded. "Remember to read the next chapter before coming to class tomorrow, you never know if there'll be a Pop Quiz two days in a row or not." Mr. Samworth tried to sound ominous.
"That's not fair!" A voice could be heard amongst the students as everyone was slowly filing out of the classroom.
Han grinned at his teacher's incendiary words, admiring the level of trolling teachers were able to pull off. He imagined that teaching was a pretty tricky job of balancing work during the day and the work that likely leaked into off hours. Fortunately for teachers, the period seemed to favor them just by looking at their demeanor compared to teachers in the alternate version of Earth. Teachers in the alternate version were paid a paltry amount considering the societal benefits they brought to the table.
"Can you believe what Mr. Samworth said, about there being a possibility of a quiz?" Claire asked Hannah as the three of them left the classroom and hung out at Han's locker.
"I don't think that he was serious, but I wouldn't mind there being another Pop Quiz. The one we took today wasn't tough, especially if you read the chapters." Hannah answered.
Han opened the locker door and gathered his materials for his second, third, and fourth-period classes. With the location of the first period, Han didn't feel it was necessary to carry around a backpack but with the other rooms being on the second, fourth, and first levels he didn't want to have to take a side trip.
"What did you think of the Pop Quiz, Han?" Claire asked him.
Closing his locker and putting on his pack, Han confessed, "I think I missed three of the blanks, so I probably ended up with three incorrect answers."
"Even with three incorrect answers, you still walk away with a B+," Hannah responded.
"This is why I tell you that you need to read and study more," Claire nagged.
Han held up his hand to Claire, who glared at him before grudgingly giving him a five. "You worry too much," He grinned at her. "Who knows, maybe I'm secretly a great athlete and will have my future all set?"
"If you turn out to be a super athlete, then I'll try out for the cheerleading squad," Claire rolled her eyes.
Han walked away towards the stairwell, but turned around at the last moment, "You're the one who said that, so remember your words." Opening the door with his back, he laughed seeing her expression of annoyance. He waved at the two of them before heading down the stairs.
Going down the stairs, Han chuckled to himself, "Would I be a horrible person if I aimed to become the MVP of the football team just to see if Claire keeps to her word?" With her dark brown hair and figure, Han knew she would attract a lot of attention when she got into high school.
Seeing the computer icon on the wall, He headed towards the door and opened it to leave the stairwell. The hallway was like the third floor with the number of students milling about. Going right, he walked up the hall maneuvering his way through his classmates. His class was on the left and getting closer he noticed Alex witing by the door.
Alex glanced up and noticed Han walking over to him. When Han reached him, he asked, "So, how did Chemistry go today?"
"We had a Pop Quiz today, which was the typical fill in the blank that Mr. Samworth enjoys giving out," Han laughed dryly.
Alex winced, "Just another reason why I don't understand your reasoning for taking that class."
"It's weird how you're taking a Chemistry and Computer Science class," a classmate who was in the same class commented.
Throwing both hands into the air dramatically, Alex responded, "You try explaining that to him." Using the hand closest to Han, Alex smacked him on the chest, "This guy is even planning on trying out for the football team."
"You're joking, right?" the classmate asked.
"No, Amy, I'm not. I wish I were, but this guy seems to enjoy doing whatever he feels like even if it's crazy," Alex said in an exasperated voice.
"Amy, I think Alex is worried about me not hanging out with him at the mall as much," Han grinned at the two of them.
Amy giggled after hearing this. "Instead of hanging out with you, maybe Hannah will be successful at dragging him to the library?" She said to Han, glancing over at Alex.
Both of them cracked up laughing at the look of horror on Alex's face.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"You three look like you're up to no good," the voice of their teacher, Ms. Palmer, commented as she squeezed through the crowd of students waiting to get in.
"Just commenting on Alex's study habits, Ms. Palmer," Amy said.
"Mr. Walters does seem to have a reputation towards studying," Ms. Palmer said as she lifted up her wrist to allow the door to scan her bracelet. There was an audible click as the door unlocked. Opening the door, Ms. Palmer said, "I do hope you have completed the assignment for my class, Mr. Walters."
Being the nearest to the door, Han entered first followed by Alex and Amy.
"Of course, Ms. Palmer, you're my favorite teacher!" Alex answered as he passed by her.
Alex moved closer to Han and whispered, "Did you finish the assignment?"
"I'm guessing you need to copy it?" Han grinned.
Like usual, Han headed towards the seat in the rear row. The layout of the classroom was different compared to his chemistry class. There were two columns of desks with a path running between them. Each row was aligned towards a large monitor at the front-center of the room. At each station, there were three substantial looking monitors, along with a keyboard and mouse.
Sitting down at the computer, Han tapped on the keyboard and heard the familiar hum of the machine booting up. There was a clicking noise inside the monitor along with whirring sounds and the hum. These computers reminded him of the ancient computers from the 80s, which his previous father had owned.
Alex crept around the monitor and asked, "could you wire me the file?"
"Maybe I shouldn't so I can see the expression on Ms. Palmer's face when she finds out that you didn't complete the assignment?" He teased.
"That's not even funny!" Alex hissed. In a lower voice, he continued, "You'd think that someone as pretty as her wouldn't be such a popsicle." He quickly lifted up his head to check where the teacher was at and sighed in relief.
Glancing towards the monitors, Han saw that the computer had finished booting up. On the screens were green text listing out the homepage. The in the center was a pop-up field with text asking for his username and password.
"Give me a second, and I'll wire you the assignment," He informed Alex who was looking at him with puppy eyes.
Alex's face split into a grin, "I knew I could count on you," Alex said.
"Sure. Sure." Han waved for Alex to leave him alone so he could focus. When Alex moved away, Han took off his backpack and placed it next to his chair. Casually, Han opened up a hidden pocket and removed something looking like five floppy disks glued together. If he were to compare the two timelines, this version of Earth was pretty impressed with how far they were able to come with new technology. These computers were released several years ago by the Department of Military Technology, along with the network called The Wire.
Besides the computer, there was a card reader slot where he inserted his disk. The usual whirring noise could be heard as the disc was scanned. An indicator light informed the user that the card was being read. Leaning back in his seat, he looked back at the monitors. There was a slight twitch on the screen, and a different text box could be seen, which had the words, "Restart - Y/N." Pressing the "Y" key, he saw the screen go blank, and the machine go quiet. After several moments, the computer booted up again. This time the process took a fraction of the time.
Once the computer finished booting up, the screen showed a pixelated image of a star and crescent moon. Below the picture was an empty text field. Typing in a phrase over fifty characters long, he pressed the "enter" key. The image of the star and crescent moon began rotating in opposite directions several times before stopping. Moving away from one another, while a line spit the screen, making it look like a door was opening.
"To move against the flow of fate and time, we bend our knees to our Master. We welcome and wish for your guidance." A pop-up window appeared the same two sentence appeared on the screen. Slowly fading away, a new screen appeared that looked a little similar to the previous menu, easy camouflage for those curious about what Han was working on. It prevented people from glancing over at his monitor to easily discover what he was doing. Moving his mouse, he opened an executable program labeled, "The_Created.exe." A blank menu appeared with only a flashing rectangle at the upper left-hand corner. Typing the word, "Menu," a series of words appeared on the screen. He looked through the list until he found, "Contact." Typing in the word, the menu changed back to the just a blinking small rectangle.
"Status," Han typed. The blinking cursor dropped to the next line and continued blinking.
He didn't need to wait long before there was a response. "Master, we have completed the tasks that you have laid out for us. Mistress Helania is currently working on Stage 2." The words appeared on the screen.
"Is the target located?" He typed.
"Yes, Master."
"How is the network performing?" Han typed.
"All communication and sites are made secure, to prevent any security issues from developing. The Wire is working as intended."
He smiled at seeing those words. "Disconnect."
"We eagerly await." Was all it said before everything was cleared and the words "Disconnect Successful" appeared. Closing the menu, he went to the directory and opened up the menu labeled, "Assignment4Alex." He pressed the icon key and selected "Wire to:" which brought up an address book. Clicking on the folder marked friends, he selected Alex's name and pressed "enter." A pop-up appeared asking for confirmation, which he agreed to.
A few moments passed before Alex rolled back in his chair, "You're amazing, Han! I knew that you wouldn't abandon me!"
"I'm guessing you received my wire?" Han smiled at Alex.
There was a clapping sound as Ms. Palmer tried to gain their attention. "Settle down everyone. We'll be starting class now. I'm assuming everyone has their computer turned on by now and finished any last minute assignments?" She said.
Han looked over his monitor and noticed Ms. Palmer looking in their direction. "I think she knows that you didn't do your assignment," he whispered to Alex. He heard a groan from Alex.
"The Ice Queen strikes again," Alex muttered.
"Now who can tell me about computers," Ms. Palmer asked them.
Han heard one of his classmates answer, "Computers were created by the military during the previous Continental Wars, as a way to connect command with troops. With the help of computers, massive amounts of data were able to be processed to better predict and organize the military."
"Why did the military think that computers were able to accomplish this?" Ms. Palmer asked after the student finished.
"Computers are very good at calculating raw data and presenting it in a form that can be understood," Amy said.
"Yes. Computers are good at performing calculations and creating models, which are important for warfare. But how did these computers appear at this school?" Ms. Palmer paced back and forth as she listened and provided questions.
"It wasn't until after the Continental Wars that the Government realized that computers could increase efficiencies in the public and private sectors. Both computers and The Wire were released at the same time and with large subsidies, they became cheap enough for companies and families to own a computer that could connect to The Wire." Amy answered. Seeing Ms. Palmer waiting, she continued, "To educate the next generation, the Government provided National grants to all levels of education. The computers were sold at nearly cost-free levels. Access to The Wire was made available at no additional costs. Along with schools, the National Government opened up ties with private businesses, who opened up stores across the country where people could come in an learn how to use a computer."
"That is all correct. The introduction of the computer and The Wire brought about an electronic revolution, increasing the technology of several related fields. Even the locks on the doors and the scanner used in the cafeteria were created with the help of computers. Even now, several medical institutions are working on mapping out our DNA. Some professionals believe that computers may help us to model diseases and illnesses, to the degree that human lifespans could be expanded." Ms. Palmer said, appearing excited which was unusual for her regular appearance.
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After school finished for the day, Han headed out of the school building. As he headed over to the football field, Han thought about how Alex had made a depressed face after completing the Math test, Han and the girls tried to cheer him up by telling him that everything was going to be okay. Seeing a chance, Hannah told him that they would be studying at the library instead of hanging out at the mall. Han chuckled when he watched Alex be dragged off in the direction of the library after all the classes finished.
"Laughing about Alex being dragged off to Study Hell with Hannah?" Claire asked as she walked beside him.
He nodded his head. "I'm sure he was imagining himself being forced to read so many chapters that it feels like his brain is melting." He said while grinning. Though Alex was his friend, it didn't change the fact that Alex had difficulties with keeping school a priority.
There was silence as they approached the football field, where they could see students lining up for tryouts. Even though it was only for middle school football, students still lined up to join the team.
"Han, why are you joining the Football Team?" Claire asked.
Turning his head towards Claire, Han said, "Is joining the Football Team such a horrible thing?"
"No, but it doesn't come across as life-changing. How many football players do you know that discovered breakthroughs in the medical field?" She replied.
"I think you're overthinking this. I'm joining because the Football Team looks like an interesting experience, not because of what it'll do for me in the future." Han answered. "I'm getting the sense that me wanting to join has decreased your opinion of me." He said.
Claire turned at raised both hands and waving them frantically, "N-no! I still think you're a great person, Han!" She stammered.
"Then why does it bother you so much that I'm doing this?" He said, raising one of his eyebrows.
"I don't know," Claire said looking deflated.
With them reaching the field, he stopped and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know that there isn't anything you could do that would make me want to stop being your friend, so I hope you can give me the same level of respect," Han said before heading over to the sign-up table. Behind him, Claire stood by herself with her head hanging down.
Walking over to the table, he asked the woman working, "Is this where I go to sign up to try out for the team?"
"Yes, student. Just fill out your name, grade, and position. Depending on how you perform, the head coach will decide on whether you'll be joining the team and try to keep your desired position in mind." The woman looked at him and smiled encouragingly.
Bending down, Han snagged one of the pens and began filling out the form. With him not being familiar with football, Han left the position spot blank. Putting down the pen, he thanked the woman and headed to the line of people waiting.
In the line, Han noticed that both guys and girls were waiting. He paused for a moment and remembered that in this world football didn't restrict based on gender. A couple of them nodded to him when he took his place in the line of people.
"I'm telling you that wide receiver is the best position," a girl in front of him was debating with a guy.
"Being the quarterback is the best," the guy shook his head looking like the entire debate was meaningless.
"The quarterback may be a decent position, but a wide receiver is the one that can turn the tide with a long pass. Being able to evade the defenders, get in place to receive the pass, and catch the ball to reach the end zone is so amazing!" The girl said excitedly.
Han enjoyed listening to the two, thinking about what position he would want to be in. Being a quarterback would be a fun position to be in, deciding the plays and having the quick thinking to determine who to send the ball to.
As the students were discussing where they would want to play and talking about joining the high school team in the future, a man headed towards them and said, "the next five of you will come with me."
Being in the group of five, Han followed after them and headed towards what looked be a place to measure their speed.
"Okay! I'll be measuring how quickly you complete a 40-yard dash. Regardless of what position you are playing in, the ability to run is critical. I want the five of you to line up behind the marking tape. When I give you the signal, individual will run as fast as they can until they pass the two cones in front." The man said.
As Han waited in line for his turn, he watched as the students ran as the man yelled, "GO!" Seeing them sprint towards the cone, he thought about what he was going to do.
"Next!" The man yelled.
After all the students in front of him were gone, it was Han's turn. Getting into position, Han waited for the signal.
"Go!" The man said.
Han pushed off with his right leg, feeling the ground sink in slightly. Reaching out with his left hand and pulling it closer towards him as he moved forward, Han launched himself from the starting line. He could feel the muscles in his legs flexing as they pushed him forward while his arms were pumping. The air flowed past his face as he ran.
"4.15 seconds!" He heard a woman's voice yell out.
He continued to run but began slowing down. Turning around, he saw the woman holding the stopwatch stare at him. Seeing the expression on his face, Han grinned. "If I'm going to try out for the team, I might as well get all the attention." He said to himself. Enjoying the reaction of everyone as they heard this mind-breaking number.