by TJ Viola
He was so confused. How could he possibly know any of the answers? In a dazed state, he wandered around the classroom. Everyone laughed assuming he had just given up on taking the test. Mrs. Fitzgerald reprimanded Danny for giving up so soon and then sent him to detention until the test was over.
The rest of the day was a real nightmare for Danny; the entire school became aware of his disgrace during lunch when Tony and his cohorts went from table to table announcing that Danny had flunked out of math by giving up on the test after only a few minutes. Knowing that the laughter filling the lunchroom was directed at him, Danny got up to leave, knocking over his chair. Tony followed close behind taunting him. Crystal frantically tried to catch up with Danny but was too late. Tony and Danny were fighting, and as usual, Tony, who had been studying several forms of martial arts, was giving Danny a brutal beating. Unfortunately, Mrs. Fitzgerald was the teacher on duty and still fuming at Danny’s behavior in class. She focused her anger on Danny, sending him again to detention—for the rest of the day.
When Danny got home, he went straight to the neurofeedback system to unwind and recalled Yolan’s promise. He was convinced now that she was just part of his brain confusion, a figment of his imagination. As he was thinking about Yolan, he heard her voice.
“Danny, as I promised, you now have in-depth knowledge of math all the way through advanced algebra and beyond. You answered all the questions correctly.”
Danny responded without even trying.
“Just leave me alone. I was so confused during the test. It was like my head was on fire, but that’s not all. I’m the laughing stock of the school and I got the crap beat out of me. Some help you are.”
“You need to trust me, Danny. Now that you understand you have the knowledge, you can control how fast your mind performs the calculations. Don’t worry, you got all the answers correct and you can do it again.”
At that moment, Danny’s dad entered the room and said he wanted to see him in his home office. His dad’s office was lined with old books, many of them textbooks from his university days and books he had collected. His father treasured them since all reading content was now available only on the internet or on molecular disc, and most traditional book publishers were out of business. In the center of the room, he had a work table with an advanced computer system and an audiovisual system used for conference meetings. His dad, a recognized leader in the field of astrophysics, often worked late at night and consulted with many other scientists around the globe.
“I just got a video call from one of your teachers, Mrs. Fitzgerald.”
Danny’s stomach churned. He just knew he had failed the test, which meant Yolan was only a figment of his imagination.
“She accused you of hacking into the school computers and stealing the answers to the math test you took today.”
Danny opened his mouth but said nothing.
“You answered all the questions correctly in less than ten minutes and didn’t show any calculations. She is absolutely convinced you cheated.”
All Danny could think about was that Yolan was real. He smiled—until he noticed his father’s stern look.
“You will take the test again under close scrutiny, and you will need to show all the work to back up your answers.”
Danny assured his dad that he hadn’t cheated and that he would pass the test again.
*****
The next day, the students sensed something was wrong. Mrs. Fitzgerald was standing with her arms folded, nostrils flaring, and greeted each student with a fixed, piercing stare that froze each one as they entered the room. Once the students were settled in their seats, she stood in front of her computer console and addressed the class.
“I have a special announcement to make.” She continued in a voice that commanded attention. “Yesterday, one of you received a perfect score on my math exam. This alone would be significant, since it has never been done before, but what is truly extraordinary is that this special person completed the test in only a few minutes.
“Class, please congratulate Danny O’Malley.”
There was stone silence in the room as Danny tried to sink into his seat. Everyone, including Crystal, turned to him with a look of disbelief.
Tony was the one who shattered the silence. “He cheated!”
There was a collective intake of air as Tony’s words reverberated off the walls.
“Well, Danny,” Mrs. Fitzgerald said, “why don’t you just show the class your in-depth algebraic knowledge?”
Instantly his slate computer screen was displayed on the class plasma panel along with the test questions. Once again Danny’s mind was on fire with flashes of numbers, letters, and complex calculations as he methodically wrote the correct answer for each problem.
“He’s cheating,” Tony shouted again.
Mrs. Fitzgerald slowly turned from Tony to Danny with a stare so intense with rage that one could see the air shimmer as their eyes locked.
“Danny, for Tony’s benefit start over, but this time show all the details!”
Danny knew he needed to calm down. Crystal reached over and gently touched his arm; he took a deep breath and remembered Yolan’s words: “You can control your mind, and you can do it again.”
The class stared at the display in disbelief as each problem was worked out in a rapid sequence of calculations. When he completed the last answer, Danny got out of his chair and strutted straight past Mrs. Fitzgerald.
“Young man, where do you think you’re going?”
Danny grinned. “I’m going to the administration office to switch into a more advanced math class for next semester. There’s nothing more I can learn from you.”
“Well, we will see about that. Get back to your desk. I have a new test for you. After I talked to your father, I suspected you would get help.”
“I told you he cheated,” Tony chided. “His father probably taught him everything he knows about cheating.”
This was more than Danny could take. He advanced on Tony with the accumulated rage of years of abuse. Mrs. Fitzgerald stepped between them and ordered them both back to their seats.
As Mrs. Fitzgerald walked to the front of the room, Tony gave Danny a shove. “We’ll settle this after school, freak.”
Mrs. Fitzgerald turned to the class and said, “Now we’ll see if Danny is too good for us.”
As the test questions appeared on the display, a murmur rose up in the classroom. The questions were clearly from a more advanced math class.
As Danny calmed himself and concentrated, he realized he knew the first answer. In fact, he knew all the answers, and amazingly, they appeared to him to be quite simple. This time he decided to answer every question in minute detail, explaining each sequence of steps and even deriving the theorems he used as he made simplifying assumptions. After twenty minutes, he completed the test and succeeded in walking past Mrs. Fitzgerald as she stared at the classroom display with her mouth open, flipping through the screen shots of calculations.
Chapter 12
The Next Priority
P rior to their interaction with Danny on the morning of his second math test, Zeiss and Yolan gave Titch and Eros an in-depth tutorial on how their thought-time equipment functioned with an emphasis on its thought-visualization capability. In the realm of telepathic communications, this technological evolution was the equivalent of Earthlings’ transition from radio to television.
During the past ten years, Zeiss had been working on the hypothesis that individual thought patterns were the result of interactions with the environment through the six basic senses, combined with personal experiences and intellect. The integration of these elements enables thought and reasoning to occur. The thought transmission and receiving equipment designed by his grandfather were capable of detecting only the primary environmental thought stream, not the more meaningful information that was buried in the noise of the primary signal. The new equipment, developed by Zeiss, was capable of deciphering these lower-le
vel signals and converting the entire thought stream into thought-video transmissions of real-time occurrences, including reflective thought. Titch and Eros saw a demonstration of this technology when Danny reacted to Tony’s comment about his father. They were able to witness everything unfold, as if they were seeing the event through Danny’s eyes, and when Danny was reflecting on all the past abuses from Tony, these scenes were also transmitted and displayed on the monitors.
Eros could hardly believe what he had witnessed and exuberantly congratulated Zeiss and Yolan. While graciously accepting his praise, Zeiss indicated this was just phase one of a multiphase project he hoped to complete once they returned to the surface, but for now his focus was on Danny and saving Grillion from the Ammagans.
Danny’s performance on the math test was proof that the probability of stopping the Ammagans had taken a quantum leap, since they had a method for enhancing his mental and physical capabilities.
Titch, however, sat apart from the others with renewed frustration about the fuss being made over this new toy while the whole project was still in jeopardy. She was convinced more than ever that Danny needed the ability to protect himself and to avoid possible life-threatening situations—the sooner the better.
Suddenly, the control room went dark; all the animated aura chatter stopped. The total darkness had an amplifying effect on Titch’s harsh thoughts.
“Danny’s life could end as suddenly and as easily as my turning off this power grid. Unless he has the skills to survive, the project is at risk of failure, and all your technology and gadgets will amount to nothing.”
She reactivated the power grid, and all eyes followed her as she walked toward the exit portal.
“We have time,” Yolan said. “He doesn’t get into a mortal fight for several earth months.”
Titch turned to face Yolan. “Oh, I forgot you looked into his future and know all. I suggest you look again because there is a high probability that his future has changed. He is no longer the same person. You have already changed his future, in ways that are unpredictable,” she said, exiting the chamber.
Zeiss acknowledged that Titch had a legitimate concern and ordered Mylo and Yolan to continue monitoring Danny’s thoughts.
Zeiss entered the fitness center, and as expected, Titch was taking her frustrations out on Eros in a vigorous game of Body Slam. Eros flew past him, with his arms flailing, into a force field that prevented him from slamming into the back wall—scoring a point for Titch. Eros rebounded and launched numerous aura power bursts in all directions that ricocheted off the side walls toward Titch, causing her to contort her body to avoid contact. Eros then delivered a frontal power burst, which Titch easily absorbed.
After observing the contest for a few more rounds, Zeiss shut down the game console and applauded their efforts.
“A very impressive demonstration of your mind-body control mechanisms.”
They both nodded toward Zeiss, accepting his compliment, but Zeiss could tell from the clenching of her jaw and red-hot aura that Titch was still upset.
“Titch, as discussed in our earlier strategic meeting, we first needed to gain Danny’s cooperation, and now, as you so tactfully indicated, we must move to the next priority. I expect both of you in the control center at first call for another planning meeting. Please continue your practice.”
As the portal closed behind Zeiss, Titch turned to Eros with a look of satisfaction. “It’s about time. I hope you’re ready, Eros, because all of a sudden I feel a new surge of energy.”
Eros was in for a long and possibly painful encounter.
*****
The whole school was buzzing with excitement as word spread about Danny’s math demonstration and Mrs. Fitzgerald’s humiliation. Many skipped their next class in search of Danny, including Crystal, but when it was apparent that he had left the school grounds, classes got back to normal.
Crystal didn’t wait for the school bus to take her home, but instead ran to where she knew he would be after such a stressful encounter at school—sitting under the oak tree high above his house where they had spent so many hours studying math.
“Danny, can I sit with you for a while?”
“I know what you’re going to ask.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I guess I went too far, but she really got under my skin.”
“Danny, how in the world did you do that? It was amazing.”
Danny rested his chin on his knees with his arms tightly wrapped around his legs. He wanted to tell Crystal about Yolan; he wasn’t sure he could deal with everything without her support.
“Crystal, no one would believe me—not even you.”
She was surprised by Danny’s comments. They had been close friends for as long as she could remember and shared many secrets.
“I’m sure you’ll tell me when you’re ready—I will believe you, and you know that. In the meantime, you’d better come up with some answers because everyone, especially your parents, will want to know how you became such a math whiz overnight.”
She left Danny sitting alone; he looked so lost and vulnerable under the huge tree. As she glanced back, the sun was setting and the tree’s shadow appeared to embrace him into its bosom. Crystal hoped he would confide in her soon, for his sake.
Crystal was right; Danny needed an explanation! He had spent hours trying to think up reasonable explanations for his sudden mastery of math, to no avail. Feeling lonely and depressed, he leaned against the tree for support and rose to go home, then he heard Yolan’s voice.
“Danny, I can tell you’re worried. Can I help?”
“You got me into this mess!”
“We both did! I should have warned you not to show more than you needed to pass the test. It wasn’t necessary, or wise, to show the whole world you’d become a genius overnight. I hope this is a lesson you won’t forget, because I have many more wonderful skills I can share with you as we continue our friendship.”
“Just tell me who you are and how you know so much. I don’t understand what’s happening to me.”
“I will eventually explain everything. For now, we need to find a solution to your current dilemma.”
It was Mylo who came up with a plausible explanation that Danny could use regarding his sudden mathematical knowledge. He suggested Danny inform his parents that he had experimented with sleep learning using a micro disc from his father’s technical library. This explanation would also be useful to explain future capabilities Danny might suddenly possess. They all thought it was an excellent proposal because if Danny were ever tested to confirm this unique learning capability, it would be easy to transmit telepathically any information needed to convince the testers that he indeed had an extraordinary ability for deep-sleep learning. Danny agreed and felt better about going home to face his parents. He was sure they had already heard about today’s math fiasco and would want a thorough explanation.
Danny’s plan was to climb through his bedroom window and enter his father’s library to find a disc with the appropriate math information and place it on his music console. Everything was going along fine as he approached the back of his house, until Bruno came running out the back door barking like crazy with his father close behind.
His dad greeted him warmly, having heard about his accomplishments in school. Internally he was disappointed that his son wasn’t a higher performer academically, but what he had achieved today was truly remarkable. He was proud of him, but also confused.
Once inside, both parents could hardly control their excitement and quizzed him simultaneously. They had him describe how events unfolded at school; yet most of all, they wanted to know why he pretended to have no mathematical ability when all along he was quite exceptional. Danny knew he had to answer carefully, since he didn’t have the opportunity to select a micro disc from his dad’s library.
“I don’t know how I passed that test. I was nervous, but when I saw the questions, somehow, I knew the answers.”
“Did you do anything unusual in preparation for this test?”
“Not really. The last thing I tried, out of frustration, was studying one of your old micro discs, but I fell asleep before I got very far and woke up with the stereo headphones still on.”
Danny’s dad took the bait, went to his study, and returned with several micro discs. “Did you study one of these?”
“I don’t know for sure, Dad. I was desperate so I took the first one that sounded like it would help. ‘Advanced Algebraic Concepts’ could be the one.”
He was asked to work on his homework and practice his neurofeedback until dinner, while his parents continued to discuss the situation. His dad was convinced that Danny accidentally used deep-sleep learning and concluded he must be extraordinarily sensitive to the technique. He explained to his wife that in the latter part of the twentieth century, considerable research money was spent in this area; however, after years of effort, it proved effective for only a small fraction of the population and money for further research dried up.
*****
As Zeiss expected, Titch tried to drive the meeting and insisted her particular specialty was the most effective way to protect Danny and that his training needed to start immediately. This time it was Yolan who counteracted Titch and demanded that they take a more analytical approach and examine several possible alternatives for their effectiveness and impact on those around Danny. Historically, over the centuries, the Grillions had developed a wide range of defensive techniques due to their mind-body control capabilities, which were used mostly for physical fitness and entertainment. The list of possible skills to teach Danny was long and ranged from various forms of martial arts, with and without levitation skills, to advanced aura-controlled force-field projectiles—all Titch’s specialties. The majority opinion was that Danny should be taught aura extension and sensitivity, which would enable him to avoid most dangerous situations without drawing attention to himself. Once he could feel and react to his surroundings, then Titch would teach him to use his aura for both defensive and offensive protection.