by KB Shaw
FLETCHER: It looks like you want to respond to Mr. Wilson’s statement. Please state your name.
OWEN RUFF, AUDIENCE MEMBER: Owen Ruff. I’m a high school teacher. GundTech has said flatly that it will monitor all IHT simulations 24/7. This company has one of the highest customer service ratings in history. As I recall, there was a similar protest when they announced the multiCom Artificial Intelligence technology. None of those fears came to pass. As far as anyone knows, there haven’t been any invasion-of-privacy abuses. It seems to me that GundTech is a socially conscious company and it has earned the world’s trust.
FLETCHER: That brings us to this young woman who is a student at Arizona State University. Please introduce yourself.
MISTY SHALIMAR, AUDIENCE MEMBER: I’m Misty Shalimar. I’m a sophomore art student at ASU, and I’m totally against the constant monitoring within IHT programs. That, in itself, is an invasion of privacy. I should be able to do or say what I want, no matter what new technology may come along. It’s my constitutional right to free speech.
FLETCHER: Thank you, all of you. Now, to respond to your statements, please welcome the four GundTech employees who represent the U.S. students who have been accepted into the IHT Academy. Who would like to begin?
DONALD CHITWOOD, GUNDTECH: Donald Chitwood, Ms Fletcher. I represent Malik Simons, the student from Atlanta. I would like to assure you that GundTech has taken the utmost care in creating the IHT and would never release a product that’s unsafe in any way. Part of our system of safeguards is the monitoring.
FLETCHER: Miss Shalimar represents a sizeable part of the population that claims your monitoring would be a violation of their rights. In fact, many legal experts agree with them.
DEBBIE WHITE, GUNDTECH: I’m Debbie White, representative for Cameron Rush from Troy, Wisconsin. Anyone who uses an IHT-based simulation, whether it is one of the new amusement rides we are working on or a movie studio using IHT sets and effects, will know they are being monitored. It would be an invasion of privacy if users were being watched secretly—if they were being spied upon. However, that’s not the case with the IHT. The students and their families know they will be monitored.
FLETCHER: With that in mind, let’s bring out the first two of our special guests—the oldest and youngest of the American students, Malik Simons, age eighteen, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Rebecca Weingold of Bleathard, Oregon. Rebecca is the youngest student accepted by the Academy. We have been informed that she is only eleven but will be the mandatory twelve years of age in just a few days.
(APPLAUSE)
AMY LASSITER, GUNDTECH: Amy Lassiter, Ms Fletcher. Becky is hearing-impaired. She lost her hearing four years ago, due to an illness. I will be signing for her.
FLETCHER: Welcome to you both. Let me start, then, with you, Rebecca.
REBECCA WEINGOLD: Becky. I like to be called Becky, please.
LASSITER: Becky, as you just heard, can speak quite well for herself. She was not deaf from birth, which had some unexpected results. (SIGNING TO WEINGOLD) Tell Ms Fletcher about your interview with GundTech.
WEINGOLD: The interview? Yes! They found out I was deaf when Mr. Hanson came to tell my mother and me that we had made it to the family interviews. I was afraid they would cut me when they found out.
FLETCHER: Mr. Hanson?
LASSITER: He was Becky’s first GundTech rep. I was immediately assigned to Becky because of my signing ability.
FLETCHER: Then you signed for Becky at the interview.
(LASSITER SIGNING TO WEINGOLD)
WEINGOLD: No. Amy was there, of course, but not to sign. They asked me if it would be okay to test the IHT closed captioning during our interview.
FLETCHER: Closed-captioning? Like on the comNet?
LASSITER: Exactly, but this would be real time and the words would be floating close to the person who spoke them. We didn’t know how a user would react to captioning in what appeared to be the “real world.”
FLETCHER: So Becky, tell me what happened. What was it like seeing a person’s words appear out of thin air?
WEINGOLD: I don’t really know… You see, I could hear everyone just fine.
FLETCHER: You could hear? How?
WEINGOLD: I don’t really understand. Amy?
LASSITER: As you’ve reported on your program, one part of IHT technology is an interaction with the brain. We fool the senses into seeing, feeling, and hearing. Becky was a surprise to all of us. The possibilities are staggering. Here’s some news for both Becky and her mother, Ruth. GundTech has set up the Weingold/Farroud Foundation to explore the application of IHT technology to help the disabled. Think of it—a new type of hearing aid could be developed!
(APPLAUSE)
FLETCHER: And who is Farroud?
LASSITER: He is the student from Iraq. Young Mustafa, whom we’ve nicknamed “Mouse,” suffers from a muscular disease that has confined him to a wheelchair. He is free of the chair within the IHT world. In the academy, he will be no different from the other students. Mustafa and his older brother have been in Oslo for more than a month—working out.
FLETCHER: Working out?
LASSITER: We put him in the same test program as our professional athlete subject. As you know, confinement to a wheelchair or bed causes a person’s muscles to atrophy, or deteriorate. The same is true of our astronauts when they spend a lot of time in weightlessness. Well, little Mouse has actually put on weight and has regained some muscle tone by exercising within the IHT environment.
FLETCHER: You mean to say you cured…
LASSITER: [interrupting] No! We must be very clear on that point. We did not and cannot cure Mustafa’s disease. What we can do is raise his quality of life and help delay some effects of the disease. But this technology could give new hope to those families waiting for a cure.
FLETCHER: Malik! I didn’t mean to ignore you. Tell me about yourself and your family.
MALIK SIMONS: Not much to tell, really. I’m a senior in high school and I hope to attend MIT when I graduate. I have three older sisters. My folks both work for a bottling company in Atlanta. My dad’s in marketing and my mom’s in public relations.
FLETCHER: What made you want to attend the IHT Academy?
SIMONS: (SHRUGS)
FLETCHER: I’m sorry. Did I embarrass you?
SIMONS: I guess that it’s because I’m a total geek.
(LAUGHTER)
FLETCHER: Don’t be embarrassed, Mr. Simons. How do you think I ended up being the technology reporter for WBN?
(LAUGHTER)
FLETCHER: We have to take a commercial break now, but we’ll be right back.
Chapter 18:
Center Stage
THE COSTAS and Rush families were watching the show from rooms on opposite sides of the studio. The network didn’t want Cameron and Rosa to meet until they walked to center stage in front of millions of viewers. As Meagan Fletcher announced the commercial break, a production assistant knocked and entered each room.
“Ninety seconds, Mr. Rush,” said one.
“Ninety seconds, Miss Costas,” said the other.
Cameron was led to an X taped on the floor on the left side of the stage, while Rosa was told to stand on a similar mark on the right side. The assistants stood between them and the stage itself. They could hear someone in the studio say, “Live in five… four… three…”
Two silent seconds later, Meagan Fletcher’s voice could be heard over the backstage monitor. “Welcome back to this special edition of Technology World. The two young people you’re about to meet are best friends. They applied to and were accepted by the IHT Academy as a team. That’s unusual in itself, but it’s even more remarkable that they’ve never met in person, before tonight. Please welcome Rosa Costas, a real working cowgirl who lives on a ranch outside Moriarty, New Mexico, and Cameron Rush, from Troy, Wisconsin.”
Rosa heard the applause. At that moment, the production assistant stepped aside and motioned for her to enter. When she saw Cameron enteri
ng from the far side, she gave him one of her mischievous looks.
Cameron saw the look on Rosa’s face as they walked toward center stage. He knew that look only too well. She had something planned—something that would embarrass him. What would it be? Well, if it was a hug, like at the interview, she was in for a shock. He was prepared for that. He would hug her right back. In fact, he would hug her first! He wouldn’t look stiff and awkward, either. He was even prepared for her to call him Cheese Boy in front of the whole world. What he wasn’t prepared for was…
As they came to center stage, Rosa reached out to give her friend a hug. She noticed Cameron did not hesitate to return the gesture. She knew he wouldn’t. As they hugged, she lifted herself on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek before pulling away and calmly taking her seat next to Max Anderson. Max’s hand was over his mouth, trying to mask his amusement.
Cameron stood there a moment, awkwardly. The red of his blush radiated through the makeup.
“Please have a seat, Mr. Rush,” said the host, with a tone of sympathy in her voice.
Cameron walked stiffly to his seat. During the commercial break, two chairs had been added on-stage and arranged so Cameron and Rosa could sit in the center with their reps next to them. The other two students and their reps sat at either end. The two boys were on the left side of the stage while the girls were on the right.
“So tell me, Rosa,” said Meagan, “is Cameron your boyfriend?”
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation. She glanced at Cameron, who had turned to look at her when the question was asked. Rosa had a sly smile on her face. “He is a boy and he is a friend.”
The reporter turned to address Cameron. “And what do you have to say about that?”
“She’s right on both counts, I guess,” was his somewhat lame answer.
“Cameron’s mother is a county attorney and his father is a writer. Rosa’s father is the foreman on a cattle ranch…”
Rosa’s face went white at the reporter’s revelation. Now Cameron knew they didn’t own Rancho Verde. He knew they were only hired hands. She had been planning to tell him—eventually. She hadn’t expected him to learn her secret here and now in front of millions of viewers. She turned to Cameron and was amazed to see that he didn’t react to the information. He was calmly watching the reporter. Didn’t he hear Meagan Fletcher say her father was a ranch foreman?
Cameron furtively extended his little finger and briefly touched the side of Rosa’s hand, which was resting on the arm of her chair. With that gesture, she realized Cameron had already known her secret and everything was okay. She smiled as she turned to watch Meagan Fletcher.
“…and so you have never met in person before tonight.” She was talking to Cameron.
“I’m not sure if that’s true,” said Cameron.
The reporter was puzzled. “How can you not be sure if you’ve met in person before, or not?”
“Well, we were at the interview together.”
“Yes, but that was just an IHT simulation. You didn’t meet in person.”
“Didn’t we?” He turned to look at Rosa, who took up the thought.
“Ms Fletcher, I could see, hear, and touch him,” said Rosa, “and his thoughts, humor, and spirit were there. So was that him, or wasn’t it?”
“What an interesting question! No wonder you two scored the highest ranking of any applicant to the academy.”
“That’s not fair to say,” Rosa protested. “There were two of us.”
Cameron rose to the occasion. “Yeah, I reckon if you divided the score by two, we each came in dead last.”
The audience erupted in laughter.
• • •
IN OSLO, it was 4:37 a.m. as Gwen Johanssen watched the live show in the conference room. “They are terrific,” she said to the man in the room with her.
“For their own sakes, I wish they weren’t so good,” said the man. “The media won’t leave those two alone after this.”
“That’s why we evaluated the families as well. They’ll protect their children.”
“I hope so, Gwen. I truly hope so.”
• • •
WHEN THE SHOW was over, their reps informed the four students that the three-day, all-expense-paid vacation, which was to follow their appearance, had been canceled. Their luggage had been gathered from the various resorts and would be waiting for them at the airport. Cameron and Rosa were upset. They had hoped to spend some time together in Phoenix.
There were no long, white limousines waiting for them when they left the studio—only four blue airport vans. The students and Amy Lassiter went in the first van, while the families and the other reps piled into the others.
“This sucks,” said Malik as the van moved swiftly down the freeway to the airport.
“Yeah,” said Becky. She didn’t need Amy to sign Malik’s comment to understand what he had said. “Our parents didn’t seem too unhappy, though.”
Rosa signed, “Hi, I’m Rosa. This is Cameron.”
Cameron was astonished. “I didn’t know you could sign.”
Becky’s face broke into a wide smile and she gave a timid little wave in response. “Hello, Rosa. Hello, Cameron.”
Cameron extended his hand in greeting to Becky, then to Malik. Becky giggled as she shook Cameron’s hand with a feather-light grip. Malik’s grip was firm, yet friendly.
“What a summer, huh?” Malik’s voice was tinged with wonder and disbelief.
“For sure!” said Becky after reading Amy’s sign. “I’m just disappointed we aren’t getting to stay and visit a few days like they promised.”
They spent the next few minutes sharing how they had cracked the puzzle of the 715-page application form. Becky had not gotten the humor of the “red tape,” however. Again, she giggled when Malik explained it to her. Her giggle was infectious. Soon, the whole van was laughing.
“Wait a minute!” said Rosa suddenly as she looked out the side window. “Didn’t we just pass our terminal?”
“Who knows?” asked Cameron. “It’s dark out, and this place was confusing in the daytime.”
Malik cupped his hands around his eyes and peered through the glass. “No, I think Rosa’s right. My oldest sister lives here, and I’ve come to visit several times. So I’m familiar with the airport. That was the main terminal we just passed.”
The parade of vans turned off the primary airport roadway and cruised along a row of low buildings until they pulled to a stop behind a small hangar. The van door was thrown open, revealing a shiny, private jet glistening in the light of a full moon. “GundTech” was painted in tall, blue letters on its tail. The gang of four was speechless.
Max Anderson approached their van. “It’s way too hot to spend three more days in Phoenix,” he said. “So we decided to move you to a new hotel, several hundred miles west of here. Have any of you ever heard of the Disneyland Hotel?”
Becky could see the excited movements of her companions, but she didn’t understand until Amy had finished signing. “Disneyland?” she asked, fearing she hadn’t read Amy’s signing correctly. Amy nodded in affirmation. With that, Becky started bouncing like a jumping bean, giggling uncontrollably.
Malik put an arm around her shoulder like a big brother trying to calm his sister. Rosa put one arm around Becky’s waist and the other around Cameron’s. Then, arm-in-arm, the four American students walked toward the magic carpet that would whisk them away.
Chapter 19:
From the Shadows
EVEN BEFORE the airport vans left the WBN complex, Meagan was entering her office. She wanted to review a recording of the show while it was still fresh in her mind. She was happy with the way it had gone. The news scoop on the IHT’s medical possibilities was totally unexpected, and it had opened her mind to the fact that the technology beneath the IHT—was it really quantum computing?—was going to re-shape the world’s future. No wonder GundTech was so secretive.
And those last two kids! thought the
reporter. What were their names? Rosa and Cameron? They’re going to have their fifteen minutes of fame for sure. Somehow, she felt they would handle it well. That comment about dividing their score in half showed they were level headed.
Jason waited for Meagan to be seated before speaking.
“Good evening, Meagan.”
“Good evening, Jason.”
“I have your show cued and ready for review, but there is a message you should look at first. It is from ‘Inside Out.’”
Meagan’s body tensed at the news. She leaned forward in anticipation. “Display it please, Jason.”
Ms. Fletcher,
Congratulations on a great show. I hope you (the press, I mean) will let those kids just be kids and have a normal life.
I am disappointed that you have not come to visit me yet. I figure you know where I am, since Jason has done enough searching in my neck of the net.
If you can find me, I’ll be around for another thirty minutes or so.
Inside Out
“Bring up…” X-Boy’s site appeared on the screen before she could finish her request. “So, Jason, do you read minds now?”
“No, Meagan. I am just beginning to think like you. I am sorry if my action was presumptuous.”
“No need to apologize, Jason. Thanks. I think it just means we’re becoming a team.”
“Like those two Academy students? I noticed how they seemed to pick up on each other’s thoughts.”
“Yes. Like Rosa and Cameron. You have been invaluable to me these last few weeks. I only regret that I didn’t trust you for so long.”
“Meagan.”
“Yes, Jason?”
“I also noticed that they did not always say please and thank you to each other.”
“That’s because they know that the other is appreciative and thankful without having to be told all the time. I suppose that’s how it is with friends and family.”