Nothing for Anything - a Badge-Holder's Tale

Interlude - The Concept of the "Other"

15th April, 2091

Dr O'Connell was a bright man, and a genius scientist. He was charming, and kind...but most importantly, highly intelligent. 

"Now", he began, in front of his graduate class. "We're going to play a little game."

The students looked about in confusion. Dr O'Connell laughed, kindly. 

"That was a little vague", he said. "I need a volunteer."

A young woman, with strawberry blonde hair and a determined smile, got up from her seat. Dr O'Connell smiled. 

"Kyla", he said. "I need you to stand in front of the class for a moment."

Kyla walked up to the front. "I don't see what this has to do with physics, sir?" she questioned. 

"Nothing", Dr O'Connell plainly stated. "I'm merely making a point." He looked to Kyla. "Now, think of a number. But don't tell me."

Kyla thought for a moment. "Okay. I've thought of one."

"Good", Dr O'Connell said. "Now the others will guess."

The other students tried desperately to guess Kyla's number, but none of them succeeded. Dr O'Connell had not set a limit on what number she could pick, so there was practically an infinite amount of possibilities. Yet, no matter how high or low the students went, they could not answer. After a while, they were frustrated, and refused to continue. 

"The number is seventeen, isn't it?" Dr O'Connell asked.

"H-how did you know, sir?" Kyla said, shocked he managed to guess.

"Well, it's obvious", he replied. "It's your lucky number, am I correct?"

Kyla nodded. "Yes. But how did you know that?"

"It's simple", Dr O'Connell explained. "You do everything seventeen times. When you click your pen, seventeen. When you tap the desk, seventeen. It's a recurring pattern. And if something like that occurs constantly like that, it's almost always on purpose."

"Wow", Kyla said, astounded. "How could you pick up on that so fast?"

Dr O'Connell shrugged. "It was more of an astute observation. I mean, I couldn't exactly predict that A - you would volunteer - and B - you would pick that exact number. But it's the most probable answer, and it was clearly a worthy guess."

"So, you're saying we should be more observant?" Kyla asked.

"No." Dr O'Connell shook his head. "I'm saying you should look for patterns."

Dr O'Connell was well beloved by his graduate students, so much so that they were desperate to question him after every lecture. 

"How do you know so much?" one student asked.

Dr O'Connell laughed. "You can't simply gain knowledge in a second. You must build it up."

"Do you watch us all the time?" asked another student.

"No", Dr O'Connell replied. "I just pick things up easy."

He had to admit it: he loved teaching his graduate students. He was a university professor in physics, and his students were the best of the best. But there was one thing he loved more in the world than his job - his daughter.

Everyday (excluding the weekend) he would lecture at the university from eight in the morning til three in the afternoon. And whilst the students in his final lecture of the day would be desperate to ask more, as all of the students done, he would have to excuse himself to collect his daughter from school.