The Gift of Fear

Chapter I -- Prologue

He tapped his pencil against his desk in a monotonous, rhythmic manner that would have irritated his fellow classmates had the sound been just a bit louder. Sage Killian looked up at the clock that glowed right above the classroom door and let out a slight moan as he read the words and numbers projected there. "April 27th, 2094 - 2:28 pm" There were still thirty minutes left of class before he could go home. He shifted his focus from the clock down to the holographic projection that was at the front of the room. Sage didn't enjoy school in the slightest. To him, it was an eight-hour-long stretch of time where he simply migrated from room to room without being mentally stimulated at all. If it were not for the online library that was conveniently available from his desk during school hours, he would have surely gone insane years ago.

The hologram at the front of the room droned on and on about the history of Gamora. Sage decided to listen until he got bored, which would, most likely, not take too long. The holographic teacher's voice sounded from the two small projectors positioned in the top corners at the front of the room.
"Students, as you know the anniversary of our great nation is approaching. It will be the 56th anniversary of the day our founding fathers united the nations that made up this continent to bind us all under one banner as a great force for good and justice." Sage knew this was one of the pre-recorded sections of the lecture. Usually, the artificial intelligence that the holo-teachers, or "holos" as they had come to be known, ran on was very good at adapting to the class's questions and struggles, because the lessons were only loosely prepared ahead of time. However, there were a few sections of each lecture that were pre-recorded in order to fulfill certain government instituted educational requirements. If anyone in the class were to raise their hand, or just skip that step and ask a question right off the bat, the holo would simply reply, "I will answer your question in a moment." However, holes did not keep records of who had questions during this time, so often times when the holo was open for questions again, the student would simply forget and not ask.

The holo continued its speech. Sage's thoughts began to drift until he was no longer paying attention to the holo's words at all. He had a test tomorrow, but he wasn't worried about it because it was in algebra, which was his best subject. He looked at the clock once again. "April 27th, 2094 - 2:32 pm" It had only been four minutes but to Sage, it had felt like an eternity and a half. He sat back in his chair and felt his eyes grow heavy. He tried everything he could to fight back the urge for rest, but it was too strong and he eventually succumbed. He awoke to the sound of the bell; finally, he could go home. He gathered up his belongings and started toward the door, but as he reached his hand out to turn the handle, he heard a voice that said,
"Mr. Killian, could you come over here for a second?" Sage turned and saw the holo standing (or at least appearing to stand) by its desk. Why a holographic teacher would need a physical desk was beyond him. The holo for this class had the appearance of a woman in her late thirties or early forties. It had long, brown hair, and wore a grey suit. It was quite beautiful, but of course, it was not actually real.

Sage walked over to where the holo appeared. It gave him a stern look and said,
"Mr. Killian, were my eyes playing tricks on me, or were you sleeping in class," it paused before saying, "again?" The fact that the AI could compose a response that sarcastic and informal was astounding. The holo program never ceased to amaze Sage. If it weren't for the prerecorded moments or the hint of blue that was always present in the holos' appearances, this moment could have convinced him that his holo was, in fact, human. However, the fact still remained that the holo was not human, and so he did not feel intimidated by this confrontation at all. He stared at the holo and simply said,
"I didn't sleep well last night." He was lying of course; he just knew that saying this was the path of least resistance. The holo was silent for a few seconds before replying, "If you repeat this behavior again I will be forced to lower your final grade by half a point; and, continue doing so until you self-correct." Sage had no clue if this was an empty threat or not, but he did not want to take the risk. He told the holo that it wouldn't happen again and the holo nodded then faded from view.