Chapter Five: Z00 Years in the Future
Aze went up to a man standing in line and got his attention. "Hey, sir. My name is Aze. This is my brother Noel. We were curious, what’s the wait for?” he asked.
An older man, about 26 years old, turned to the two brothers. He was wearing an elastic tracksuit that was almost spandex-like, similar to a unitard, but he had the pants to match, and his arms had sleeves of same materials. He wore a bicycle helmet, and his brand-new goggles stretched around it.
“That’s so cute,” he said to them. “They’re allowing children into the entrance exams. Guess the whole, ‘anyone can attend,’ was taken a little too literally.” He slapped his knee once and laughed. Then, when he was finished, he asked, “Anyways, you said you need help or something? Where’s your parents?”
Noel bit at his fingers. The jig was up so easily. They had just arrived, and it wasn't likely they were going back home anytime. Sweat ran down his forehead, and he was overwhelmingly jittery now.
“Yes,” Aze said, speaking for the two, nodding his head restlessly. "We do need help.”
The man squinted his eyes in suspicion.
“We’re looking for a place called Alt.”
There was a long pause with the man looking back and forth at them before he spoke.
“Then you’ve come correct. You’re here!” He shrugged his shoulders, blushing a little and also said, “You’ve found the right person too. I'm an expert when it comes to the exams.”
Aze with those stars in his eyes again said, “Wow, that’s so awesome!”
Noel asked curiously, “You're an expert? How so?”
“Well, you see. For one, I’ve taken the exams multiple times. Two….” He didn’t have a secondary example. “Look, ask me any other question, seriously.”
“Okay…this line is for the entrance examination, right? What exactly are the exams?”
He glanced at Aze and then at Noel.
“You two really don’t know anything, do you?” The man was perplexed, as if they should’ve known but didn’t. “I guess I'll give you two the lowdown,” he said as he straightened his helmet, explaining, “Every year the school holds entrance examinations admitting only the cream of the crop as its students. Handpicking only the best of the best. At Alt, if you have a talent, they will find it." He further went on to say, “I’ve been in this same line four times actually, but this year is different. I can feel it.”
Noel probed more, trying to strip as much information as he could from him: “What are some of the tests we’d have to take?”
“Well, you see, that's the tricky part,” he said. “Qualifications are different every time. They’re never the same. The judges for the exams are teachers from Alt, and they create the various tests you have to take. Whether it's mathematics, engineering, or programming, maybe the test is power based. Judges tally your scores throughout the exams. They also base their scores on a system, categorizing students in three main ways: by their physical ability, IQ, and power capabilities (PC). The top students here at Alt are usually high in all three characteristics. "These are the three main ways to qualify high. At the end of the entrance exams, all scores will be posted on billboards in the school. The top 3 students on the Billboard Top 100 list will receive their LVL. There are also these sub-features, but I don't want to get into that.”
Aze said, “Uh-huh,” and “got it,” as if he understood what was being talked about.
Noel asked, “What are these sub-features?”
"Well, since you asked, I guess I'll tell you,"” he went on to say. “It’s the intricacies of scoring, or rather, a better way to help categorize the scoring. Basically, where are you as a student in terms of power? For the sake of judging, I suppose Alt uses these sub-features to separate the Alphas from the rest of the pack. For example, a sub feature for physical attributes would be, power. How strong are you? Can you lift a certain amount? Can you take a punch? Kind of like durability. How much can you take at once? Your survivability. There are many different features and examples of them.
"Sounds harsh. They're looking for that kind of stuff in students," Noel said.
“It is harsh, and yes. I said only the best, and the best would include someone who would be able to survive anything.” He said, “Like, another feature for the physical categories would be speed. This one should be fairly simple: How quick are you?” The man added, “I’m a speedster myself. That’s my thing. I have a need for speed.”
Aze gloated, mentioning, “I’m pretty quick myself, you know.”
The man brushed over Aze’s statement, thinking he was nowhere near his speed, most likely because Aze was a child.
“The final feature for the physical, besides strength, durability, and speed, is genotype. What’s your genetic makeup? Some aliens and demi-gods from various pantheons and sectors of the galaxy that attend here have superior DNA. They’re just better than us in every way,” he shrugged his shoulders, kicking rocks on the asphalt.
The line began to move forward, with every person taking a single step forward.
"The line is moving fast this year."
“Superior genes?” Noel asked, getting him back on track to explain, “What do you mean by that?”
“Regular people don’t stand a chance against extraterrestrials, mutants, espers, or even the undead. Hell, even ninjas hopped on super serums without cybertech modifications can beat someone like me in a fight any day. He leaned closer and said, "I'll let you in on a little secret. If you have a super suit like me, you’ll never lose a fight another day in your life.”
Aze looked at the lines next to him and saw an assortment of extraterrestrials he spoke about. He saw trash mutants (an organism made of littered garbage), robots, and humans, although very few in caped costumes. Demi-gods were waiting patiently in line, specifically Orion and Perseus. Little gray men and little green ones both held on to what looked to be a squirt gun. And there were giants, but they were oddly thin, so it was hard to see from where Aze was standing right next to him.
“Which brings me to the second substitute feature. Mental. How smart is the student? Starting off this category of features is technology. You have to have some tech knowledge to understand anything nowadays. Without an understanding of technology and robotics, most people won’t take you seriously, and this school most likely won’t take you." The man closed his eyes, bobbing his head and pointing to the two brothers. “And no offense, but neither of you seem the tech or robotics type.” He said it in reference to ragged clothing.
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
“Hey. What’s that supposed to mean?” Aze said this with his arms spread out, checking his clothes as if something had been spilled on him.
“Nothing. Moving on.” The man continued his exposé, “Tactical is next down the list. Can you outsmart a student in either strategy or mathematics? It could be anything, really. You see, students are ruthless, and the teachers know that. Even this can be utilized here. The tactics of psychology and ruthlessness. Some people will do whatever it takes to get to be the #1 student, even if it means harming others. Trust me, I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”
Aze and Noel didn’t like the sound of that, getting a little more serious and paying closer attention. “One’s IQ, or general knowledge, is a baseline on this test; the higher your IQ, the higher you’ll be scored on this feature. I scored sixty-one times on the general knowledge test.”
Aze’s put his hands together and his eyes shimmered with excitement yet another time, “Sixty, holy cow?!”
The man bragged, "Impressed, are you? Yeah, it was really nothing.”
“What was the test out of?” Noel asked interested.
“What was the test out of? One hundred, of course. Now I know it's not crazy impressive, but only 40% of those who attended will score sixty or higher on the G.K.T."
“So, sixty percent of students get less on the test?”
“Don’t look into it... Just know this is how this place is run. It’s systematic.”
“Alright.” They both said it in unison.
The man continued, elaborating, "This could be the most important feature of them all. Ability classifications and LVL classifications: What are your powers? Most students in Alt don’t even qualify for this, as some of us have no special powers. And if you do have these special abilities, they’re not necessarily unique. It’s all about the LVL of said power." This was the only aspect of the conversation that confused Noel, and the man could see it on Noel's face. "That seemed a bit puzzling. Let me simplify. Flight would be considered a superpower, yet there are so many beings who can fly—either through experimentation or being born with this particular trait—that it's considered baseline, a level 1 on the rarity scale that goes up to 6."
Aze asked in quick succession, "There are 1-6 levels, huh? What's considered a level 6’s powers then?"
"Great question!" The man pondered for a moment before responding, "There's very little to go off... the last person to reach LVL 6 was a hero, years and years ago. He went by the name of Superguy. Unfortunately, Superguy passed on to the other side." He paused, his expression turning solemn. "There were these rumors circulating that someone in today's entrance exams may be a successor to Superguy. But they're only rumors. To reach LVL 6, one would have to be scaled on a universal level.”
Noel, “Meaning?”
“Meaning you’d be strong enough to destroy our universe. Complete and total annihilation. The rating system should end at 5 realistically; no one person should ever reach a LVL 6 again.” The man finished saying, “I feel as though that got dark, didn’t it?”
Aze's jaw was wide open and dropped. He replied by saying, “I think I know a person who is a LVL 6 then. The Grandmaster, Alister Crowley. He is said to be able to control the entire universe.”
Noel silenced his brother by placing his hand over his mouth.
He drew Aze closer, interlocking their arms to speak privately with his brother. "I don’t think we should discuss magic or Alister. Remember, that's our greatest secret," he whispered. Aze nodded in agreement. "This is precisely why rules exist, you know." Releasing Aze from their embrace, Noel watched as his brother stretched his neck and bent it from side to side.
“Ouch,” Aze said.
Noel turned to the man, who had a single eyebrow raised, not knowing what had just occurred. The man said, “Since we’re close to the front of the line here, I’ll continue.”
The two, now three, talked about different kinds of powers, levels, and what levels are capable of.
“Next is the most important question: How will you use your powers? This question is so important it has its own category and pertains to everything here at Alt and K City.”
Aze replied, “Wait, that’s all? How will I use my powers?”
The man looked at Aze, nodding. “Yep, this is the one constant throughout all exams. How will you use your power and intelligence? I don’t understand it completely myself. I could tell you about my theory on why it has its own category, but it won’t help.”
Noel now knows most of what he thought he needed to, so he bowed to the man, and the man put his hand on his shoulder, leading him upright.
He said, “I don’t know where you two are from, but here we high-five each other,” the man said, putting his hand out to be smacked. Noel smacked his hand. “By the way, my name is Dakota, but you can call me Dak.” Then the man went to Aze, doing the same gesture and clapping each other's hands together, forming the pinnacle hi-five and delivering the perfect slap, satisfactory to the ear."
“That was a great deal of exposition,” Aze said to him.
“What did you say?”
Aze shrugged his shoulders, saying, “Nothing.”
“Well, Aze and Noel, good luck.” Dak said, facing forward in the line like some sort of NPC.
“He's a cool dude." Aze cracked his neck, "What was his name again? Dak? I'm going to remember him. Guess we just gotta wait our turn.”
A vehicle like the one in the street before, but this time made of gold, lowered itself onto the ground separating the line of people, getting everyone's attention. Whispers from the crowds erupted.
“Is that who I think it is?” One person whispered to another.
Aze tapped on behind Dakota's shoulders and said to him, “One more question, Daiquiri. Who is that?" Dak rose a single eyebrow, shook his head and saw who he was talking about.
Dak informed them, "That person right there who causing the commotion is Edward Shubeck himself. His father, John S. S., was one of the most well-renowned physicists in the entire city. Edward is his father's successor. All he needs to do is prove himself and finish school."
He’s trying to prove himself too, Aze thought as he watched Edward getting helped out of the vehicle he was in. A machine who was in suit and tie escorted Edward out his hovercraft. He was clean-cut; his face was velvety; and you could tell from a single glance that he used cleanser and other facial washes to gain his baby's soft appearance. Probably used Aloe Vera from the looks of it. He was born of a silver spoon, it seemed as though he had never lifted a finger in his entire life, nor had never had to. He had straight, long blonde hair that would have passed his shoulder if it weren’t tied in a bun, brown eyes, and a caucasian complexion.
Edwin walked past the line standing out front and straight through the registration. Soon after his arrival, loads of hovering news vans landed in the school parking lot. Groups of reporters rushed to set up their cameras, getting ready for what could be the Qualification Games. This is the first time in Qualification history, as not only is Edwards applying this year, but so is Zolo Madden, a young demi-god, and The Ghost Girl, Gigi (Genevieve Ghold).
A public service announcement on the school's intercom said, “Welcome to the 2525 Qualification Games for Alt, The Alternate Learning & Technological-Advancement-Robo University.'
Claps, whistles, and cheers erupted from the crowds gathered outside the school.
Noel became distraught by the PA. His vision became blurred as the people and buildings spun around in a vortex of vertigo. He could no longer hear the report; his knees were weak, shaking uncontrollably to the point he could no longer stand.
Aze kneeled to his brother’s aid quickly, saying to his brother with no response, “Noel?! Noel, can you hear me?!”
Noel finally managed to get some of wits back together. He said to his brother, “Did you hear that, Aze?”
Aze shook his head from side to side.
“The voice said the year is 2525…”
Aze finally came to the conclusion, “We’re-”
Noel finished his brother's sentence by saying, “200 YEARS IN THE FUTURE!”