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Babylon High by Shurmanator
|
Babylon High (The Worst Possible Social Experiment Ever) Prolouge
Date: 10 August 2009, 1:35 am
>>>////ONI Transmission >>>////Priority Alpha Record Log- Journal Excerpt
>>>////Project Babylon
Western Long Island, New York
Earth- 2701
0700 Hours
Mission Clock: 0 Hour
High school. Perhaps one of the only places in human history that has been called "the best years of your life" and "hell". Usually in the same sentence. From the 20th century until modern times, high school has been a place of social awkwardness and segregation that would make any civil rights activist run for the hills... or an easier assignment. All I can say is, Gandhi never had to unite a high school.
My name is Kenneth J. Adams. And I am officially now a part of the greatest social experimentation in the history of man. And in the history of another species.
It has been approximately 175 Earth years since the war between the human race and the Covenant started. Everyone knows how that turned out, the Sangheilli turned against their masters, sided with humanity, and together we kicked the crap out of the rest of the Covenant. The galaxy was saved, blah blah blah hero worship etc, etc.
Of course, once all this ended, and billions of people were caught up in the relief of just having avoided the extinction of the human species, some brilliant economist somewhere (if there is a heaven, and if I go there when I die, I am going to find this economist and beat the crap out of him) thought it would be a brilliant idea to open up trade with the species that had just tried to exterminate our race. Sure, the Sangheilli had been brainwashed by a bunch of religious zealots, but they still killed a shit-load of people, I guess everyone must have forgotten that. Anyway, after about 50 years of tedious politics my adolescent brain is far to underdeveloped to put up with (I failed Civics), the Sangheilli finally gave in to the pressure brought about by the trade prospect of artificially preserved ice cream and chocolate (which, apparently, both act as aphrodisiacs to the Sangheilli, bit of a disturbing mental image there) and opened up trade.
It is now 125 years later, and Sangheilli are pretty much a normal part of human life. Humans work, and even sometimes live, on their colonies, and they live on ours. Its not all rainbows a butterflies though, there's still the fact that they killed billions of people, and that they're, you know, aliens... but on a professional level, humanity and Sangheilli get along well.
Apparently, the powers that be (our government), have decided its time for the professional relationship to become an intimate one, and they've invited the chick back to our place, if you don't mind the crude metaphor. After 25 years of intense negotiating, humanity has managed to arrange a deal with Sangheilli leaders to start up a high school, for humans and Sangheilli teenagers.
That's right.
A high school.
I swear, despite what they're teaching us in science, the human brain is de- evolving.
The damnable reasons behind this incredibly intelligent decision are numerous, but the mean one is that if a truly peaceful coexistence is to be in effect between human and Sangheilli, the two species must be raised to like each other. And of course, that means the government turns to the back-up plan. Teenagers. Every time adults are too stupid to figure stuff out for themselves, they turn to teenagers. I guess they figure that if they raise the next generation to do the right thing, then all the problems the current generation has lumped on themselves will be solved in the future. (Some Examples: The Green Revolution, the Campaign to Unite all World Governments, the Rebel Excursions) Now, they figure setting up a co-species high school will do the trick.
Obviously, Babylon High School (Brilliantly Tactful name, all I can say is I hope a remotely intelligent Sangheilli doesn't get a hold of a bible and translate it) is a prototype. The dawn of a new era. If this school is a success, then more will spring up and before you know it we'll have interbreeding... ugh. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Sangheilli. I think they're an extremely intelligent and honorable species, far more so than us at this point. I pity them for being sucked up into this. They deserve better than this cheap political move to get them more involved in trade by making them feel "more akin to the human race."
I started this journal because today is my first day starting this high school. I was selected, along with 500 other kids at random, to be apart of the "revolution" (I feel like I'm off to march in a parade with Lenin). This is it. 0 hour. I'm just finishing up thought-keying this as my Mom parks up in front of Babylon High.
Well, at least it wasn't a Human- Unggoy school. It would have sucked to have food nipples for lunch.
Babylon High Day 1 (Part )
Date: 19 August 2009, 1:25 am
>>>////ONI Transmission >>>////Priority Alpha Record Log- Journal Excerpt
>>>////Project Babylon - WARNING: TOP SECRET EYES ONLY
Western Long Island, New York
Earth- 2701
2130 Hours
Mission Clock: Day 1
Well, it's over. That's it. Day 1 of the worst social experiment ever thought of is finished. Only 200 more days to go...
As I thought-key this into my journal, I wonder why I'm doing so in the first place. So future generations can see where the friendship between Humans and Sangheilli first started? No, I doubt its for reasons as noble as that. So I can see what the "glory years" were like? No, I'm not that nostalgic. I really have no idea why I'm keeping a journal about all this, now that I think about it. But I started this damn thing, and I'm going to finish it.
The events that have befallen me today are far too complicated for me to explain in words, so I'm going to finish thought-keying this with actual memories. I won't be surprised if that's how I continue going about keeping this journal, rather than narrating the whole blasted thing.
Here goes...
WARNING: FOLLOWING PORTION OF JOURNAL INSCRIBED VIA PERCEPTION OF MEMORY
>>>>>>>>>>ACCESSING>>>MEMORY LOG ENGAGED
>>>>>>>>>>PLAYBACK INITIATED
The sun hit me pretty hard. I stepped out of my Mom's car (strange that humanity still calls them cars, even though the automotive transports of today are far more advanced than anything that could have been dreamed up in the 20th century) and walked towards the doors of Babylon High. It struck me how massive the high school was. It wasn't aesthetically pleasing in my opinion; not ugly, but not breathtaking either. It looked for all the world like a towering skyscraper dropped on its side. The school was basically a block, made completely, at least the outside surface, of Plexiglas. The sun shined off the glass, creating shadows and beams of light that danced across the acre long courtyard. Students, all Human I noticed, walked briskly across the grass, stepping out of various cars and transports, all headed toward the mammoth doors that led into the school. Like a lone bee in a hive, I obediently followed.
As I shuffled toward the doors, I glanced at my surroundings. The courtyard in front of the school was completely devoid of plant life, other than grass of course. Several tables dotted the landscape, complete with gangs of students at each one (some smoking, I don't know why anyone would want a cigarette at 7 o'clock in the freaking morning, but there's Earth's "brightest and best" for you.
My attention span quickly drifted away from the plain courtyard and back towards thoughts such as, "Where are the Sangheilli?" and "Why did I get unlucky enough to be thrown into this mess?"(the latter of which had been crossing my mind a lot lately). Finally, after being shoved through a crowd of adolescent experiments, I reached the steps of the school. As I walked up the steps, I wondered if this was how an inmate on death row felt, as he walked the Green Mile. When I looked up, however, I saw only the blinding glare of the sun in the windows of the school.
Great, I thought, I don't even get to see green. I don't get to see shit. Perfect.
Clearly, I was desperate to think of something, anything, to get my mind off of my predicament. However, my predicament had no intention of going away, and I found myself standing inside the lobby of the school.
In the fashion of the exterior, the interior of the building was enormous. The ceiling of the lobby, though only one story high (like the rest of the building, I dunno, maybe Sangheilli don't like stairs, I know I didn't complain about stairs), was one huge mirror. The floor, also, was a mirror, protected by a sheet of Plexiglas. Looking up into the infinity of the mirror on mirror reflection, it was easy to assume the space was bigger than it was. Looking forward, the lobby extended on for a good 100 meters or so (it was about 50 meters in width), all the way to the rear of the building. Perhaps a dozen doorways lined each side of the rectangular chamber, leading off to the maze of intersecting hallways that lined the building. It was a simple layout for a school... but I guess that was the point.
In the center of the lobby was an, again, large, circular desk, hollow in the middle, where about a hundred staff and teachers stood, waiting to give out instructions. Behind the desk, toward the rear of the building, were an abundance of chairs. The back wall of the lobby was quite obviously a holo-screen. Apparently the lobby doubled as an auditorium.
I followed the crowd of students (again, all Human) to the desks. A staff member yelled at me over the roar of 500 teenagers to take a seat at my assigned chair. He handed me a small device, and told me that it was a translator that would analyze my brain patterns and translate the coming speech into whatever language I would prefer. He then gave me a number that would correspond with my assigned seat.
It read 117.
I know my history, and chuckled at the significance of that number. I walked to my corresponding seat, and sat down. It took about another 30 minutes for the noise to die down. I looked around and noticed that even though all the students where there, every other chair was empty.
Ahh, so they're going to sit a Sangheilli next to us. And I'm guessing that they're going to make a dramatic entrance, I thought.
I was wrong, however. There was no dramatic entrance. The Sangheilli filed into the room the same way we had, in an unorganized blob. However, it was clear that Sangheilli teenagers are quite a bit more responsible than Human teenagers. They walked in without noise, in complete and utter silence. The oddity of this caused all of the Humans in the room to shut up as well, and we simply started as they quietly got their numbers and took their seats. I saw five Sangheilli walk down my aisle, dressed in matching tunics, just like every other alien in the room. I looked down at my jeans and fading T-Shirt with growing embarrassment.
Three of the Sangheilli looked relatively friendly, with wide, cheerful eyes and skipping gaits. Another one looked distant and forlorn, his shoulders hunched even more than the norm for the species and his eyes darting back and forth. The fifth, and there was no other word for it, was enormous. He stood at least eight and a half feet tall, and walked with a brimming confidence that gave him a military appearance. His head was held high, and he glared at every Human student he passed, making them shrink in their seats. His hands were almost the size of my torso, and his mandibles were slightly open, revealing row after row of menacing incisors.
And, of course, the fucker sat next to me. He turned to me, started me straight in the eye, and opened his mandibles. I flinched (I know, I'm a pussy, but you try staring down this monster), waiting for a vicious remark, only to hear a polite introduction.
"Greetings. My name is Atas' Valum. How do you do?"
My mouth didn't seem to be able to work properly, so I blurted out a casual, "Meneugh wrohgt."
He nodded in apparent understanding, and turned to face the holo-screen, which had now been activated and begun flashing the seal of the Joint Alliance of Sangheilli and Humans, or JASH. As for me, I couldn't quite seem to move, so I simply continued to sit there, my mouth slightly open, staring at this beast of an alien seated next to me. Then, a booming, amplified voice jolted me out of my stupor.
"Ladies and gentlemen. Sangheilli and Humans. Welcome to Babylon High, the most ambitious project, I'm proud to say, that the Human race and Sangheilli have embarked on together. My name is Dr. Arnold Halsey, and I am honored to have been given the position of co-director of this facility, along with Esteemed Cleric Vasu' Gedam."
The man speaking looked to be in his mid sixties, with thinning gray hair, a square jaw, and gray eyes. Again, I was startled by a bit of historic significance that would have otherwise gone unnoticed had I not been interested in the Human-Covenant war during History class. Approximately twelve years after war's end, the UNSC believed that it should "come clean" to the people about the details of the Spartan project, ultimatums of the Covenant, and a ton of other military only information. In a massive top-secret reveal, and one of the greatest media events in the history of the human race, it was revealed that the entire Spartan program was an ONI black-op involving kidnapped children and genetic augmentations, the existence of the Forerunners was not a myth, humanity had known about Covenant goals in locating Forerunner relics since Harvest was recovered, and so on and so forth. The name Dr. Katherine Halsey sprung up a quite a bit, and I wondered if the name of this Director was a coincidence, or if he could be a descendent of the legendary scientist.
My historical wandering caused me to miss a good portion of the welcoming speech, and when I re-focused my attention, a Sangheilli had taken the stage. His flowing, elaborate red tunic and headdress made me think that this could only be Esteemed Cleric Vasu' Gedam. He began to speak, addressing the assembled inter-species crowd.
"You have all been selected, at random, to be representations of the youth of your respective species in this project. Understand that you carry the responsibility of fully, and completely, uniting Humans and Sangheilli in a agreement that will propel us both to a new age of prosperity. Here, you will learn and grow together, and become an inspiration for further facilities such as this, and for generations to come.
>>>>>>>>>ERROR
>>>>>>>>>SUBJECT EXPERIENCING LACK OF MEMORY OF CURRENT EVENT.
>>>>>>>>>LIKELY SCENARIO: SUBJECT ENTERED SLEEP CYCLE AT THIS POINT.
>>>>>>>>>PLAYBACK REINITIATED
Yeah, I fell asleep. Pretty irresponsible, but I think I got the gist of the welcoming speech from the first couple of paragraphs. I was awakened by a gentle tap on my shoulder. I looked over in horror to discover that the person that had found me sleeping was not a person, but rather Atas' Valum, or as I had begun referring to him at this point, that big fucker.
He spoke, again, politely and kindly, but his fucking size was just scaring the shit out of me.
"Pardon me, but I believe we're leaving now. Also, excuse me, but I couldn't help noticing you were sleeping, so I took the liberty of recording the rest of the speech so you could listen. I almost fell asleep myself. I'm sure you, like I, had trouble sleeping last night. The excitement of this is palpitating, is it not? I can not wait to learn about Human history!"
He handed me a small data chip where I assumed the recording was stashed. Numbly, I muttered a thank you and an agreement, inserted the data chip into my holo-pad, then handed it back to him. His mandibles were still wide open, which I assumed was the Sangheilli equivalent of a smile, and I just stared at him. My brain couldn't process that such an intimidating figure could be so kind... I just kind of tilted my head sideways, attempted to say something, and failed miserably.
Atas' did not seem put off at all, however, and simply continued smiling as he stood up and walked away. I remained seated for a good minute before I stood up and plugged holo-phones into my ears and listened to the rest of the speech. After all, I did need to find out where to go.
After listening to the tape and fast-forwarding through boring sentiments about "a more fruitful tomorrow" and "eons of co-existence through peaceful understanding" I found that seat numbers 100-150 were to report to room 432, in B Wing. It took some navigating, but eventually I reached my room, which was a corner classroom in the East side of the building. I walked in and found myself staring at a college lecture hall, but in miniature. I was a bit intimidated, I had none of my friends here with me, after all, I was selected by random along with 499 other kids from all over Earth (come to think of it, it didn't really make sense that there were these cliques and gangs already, when no one knew each other). I knew that every student here was a stranger to me. It just goes to show that popular kids find popular kids, emo kids find emo kids, and nerds find nerds. I could already see the lines beginning to materialize between students as they sat together in groups in the room. I had no clique really, and the only person who recognized me was, again, not a person.
Atas' Valum waved at me from the front row of the hall. Feeling guilty that I had put this poor, kind alien off so many times before, I was determined to make a better impression. I walked over and sat down next to him.
"I'm sorry about earlier, like you said, I didn't really sleep much last night, anyway, my name is Kenneth. Kenneth Adams. You can call me Ken if its easier though," I blurted out all in one breath.
Atas' seemed simply ecstatic, and replied, "A pleasure to meet you, Ken! I'm glad to see we are in a class together."
Unfortunately, when Atas' got excited, he seemed to sit up a little straighter, bringing him up to a good three and a half feet taller than me. It was like sitting down and staring at a professional basketball player standing up, except here we were both sitting down, and I couldn't imagine Atas' playing basketball. (He would probably kill the other players when he fouled them.)
It was at that point that a small, middle aged woman walked into the room. She introduced herself as Mrs. Gleisen, and said that she was our homeroom teacher. She then took the time to explain to the Sangheilli that homeroom was where students began their day, and that any announcements would be made here, and that after 10 minutes in homeroom students would report to their regular classes. I wondered why the school was set up exactly like a normal school, I would have expected more compromises to be made in favor of the Sangheilli.
Maybe things will be different as the day starts, I thought.
Well, things were different. But man, I really wish they hadn't been...
>>>>>>>>>>ERROR
>>>>>>>>>>TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES HAVE OCCURRED
>>>>>>>>>>PLAYBACK ABORTED UNTIL LATER DATE
Babylon High Day 1 (Part 2)
Date: 19 August 2009, 1:27 am
>>>////ONI Transmission >>>////Priority Alpha Record Log- Journal Excerpt
>>>////Project Babylon - WARNING: TOP SECRET EYES ONLY
Western Long Island, New York
Earth- 2701
2130 Hours
Mission Clock: Day 1
>>>>>>>>>ACCESSING MEMORY LOGS
>>>>>>>>>PLAYBACK REINITIATED
We were all handed our schedules shortly after the introductory speech was delivered. There was no information filled out on the holo-sheets yet, however. Here was another example of a college-like process; all students were allowed to choose their classes. I later discovered that this course selection method was similar to the Sangheilli form of public education, in which Sangheilli children would choose the profession they desired most of all and take classes pertaining to that profession. And while your course selection was not limited to one category in Babylon High, this small compromise revealed to me the beginnings of this co-species system.
I immediately chose History, both Human and Sangheilli. Obviously I was curious about Sangheilli history, and in my opinion you can never learn too much human history. I was reluctant about choosing a mathematics course, but I figured I needed something to fill my schedule, so I chose Calculus and Trigonometry. After breezing through my science choices (I just picked Sangheilli neural studies; I never was a big fan of Chemistry and I definitely didn't want to chose Sangheilli anatomy), I moved on to the more...interesting courses.
Combat Training, obviously, stuck out on the sheet. Considering that most of the Sangheilli culture is based around a warrior class system, I wasn't surprised to see it on the sheet, though I was curious to see how rigorous it would be. Against my better judgement, I highlighted the course. Then there was language. Despite the difficulty, I chose to learn the Sangheilli language. I figure it would be cool to know how to speak an alien language. After that, I had room for two more classes. Before I forgot, I chose Lunch (Yes, Lunch was optional, apparently people have such an unquenchable desire for knowledge that it causes them to have absolutely no desire for sustenance), and then there was one. After skimming down the list, one category peaked my interest. Psychological Comparisons. The course summary stated that the class was about comparing the psyche of Humans to that of Sangheilli. It sounded as if it would give me a better insight to our species similarities and differences, so I chose it. Upon choosing that last course, my holo-sheet winked out of existence as the information automatically transferred to my holo-pad, where it would be stored for later viewing.
I was startled by a tap on the shoulder, causing me to jump a little. I turned around and saw Atas', standing there, again with his mandibles spread open (the Sangheilli equivalent of a smile).
"What courses did you choose, Kenneth?" he inquired.
I showed him my schedule, and, of course, he had all the same courses as me, at all the same times. I know when to appreciate irony, but this was a little too much. Despite his kind demeanor, Atas' was really starting to get on my nerves. He was a little too cheerful, and I still had not gotten over the fact he was more than 2 feet taller than me.
Atas', on the other hand, was gleeful. He patted me on the shoulder (which felt vaguely like getting hit with a baseball bat) and beamed, "I am so glad to see we are together again!"
I attempted my best smile, and was thankfully at that point "saved by the bell." As the homeroom class scrambled out to head to first period, I quickly leapt into the crowd, attempting to avoid being followed by Atas'. Of course, since Atas' was about 5 inches taller than most of his species, and a good 2 feet taller than most of mine, it was easy for him to spot me in the crowd and muscle his way through.
"So," he began, "where on Earth are you from?"
I attempted to keep my answers as short as humanly possible.
"Around here."
"Oh, from this... what do you call it, continent?" he asked
"Yeah, actually from this city... wait a minute." I turned to look at him.
"Can you say something again?" I asked.
Atas' looked puzzled, but obliged. "Yes, what would you like me to say?"
I carefully watched the movement of his mandibles and realized something.
"I was wondering why your voice didn't sound like it was coming out of my translator. You're speaking English!" I exclaimed.
Atas' seemed very proud. "Yes, I am, thank you for noticing! I knew that we would be receiving translators at school, but I felt I could connect more with Humans if I spoke their language. I may not be fluent, but..."
"Wait a sec," I interrupted, "You learned English when you found out you were coming here?"
"Yes, I learned it because I was coming to Babylon High," he responded.
"When did you find out you were going to come here?" I asked, beginning to sound incredulous.
"Oh, about three of your... um... how do you say... ah, yes. About 3 of your months ago."
"Three months? You learned English in three months?" I exclaimed.
"Yes," he responded, sounding genuinely nonchalant, "why?"
"Well," I stammered, "um... that's pretty impressive..."
As I trailed off, unsure of what else to say, Atas' replied, "Thank you."
Still a little dazed by the dedication of my new-found acquaintance, I found myself standing at the door to my Algebra classroom. I shook off my disbelief and stepped inside.
The rest of the morning passed by fairly uneventfully. All of my morning classrooms were shaped like my homeroom, and half my teachers were Human and half Sangheilli. One of each species for History and Mathematics. They talked briefly about course goals, and in History class, they discussed the focuses of the year. After all my math classes and History courses were finished, it was time for lunch.
I sincerely hope that lunch is not like it was today every other day of the year.
Lunch in high school is generally considered one of the most socially segregated times in a Human being's life. Anyone with a high school education will vouch for me. When I walked into Babylon High's lunchroom, despite the fact there were hundreds of aliens walking around me, I didn't expect anything less. And I got what I expected. There were regular cafeteria tables, admit-tingly some with strange shaped seats, and a buffet line in the far corner of the square room. The only entrance was a single set of doors, about 8 meters wide. There had to have been at least fifty tables. I walked up to the line at a fast pace so I could get first picks, and discovered the most varied collection of food I had ever seen.
There was the normal Human goodies; Hamburgers, Pasta, Ribs, Pork Chops, Salad, Apples, Chicken, etc. Then there was stuff that I could hardly consider food. Green wriggling creatures in an orange sauce, short tentacled leafy stalks that looked like broccoli mixed with an octopus, and several other concoctions I was too disgusted to get a good look at.
I appropriated my chosen foodstuffs and looked around for a table.
Finding the right table in a high school cafeteria is one of the most difficult tasks a teenager can face. Choose the wrong table, and your first impression is screwed. Choose the right table, and you're made for the year. It was do or die.
And I had no idea what table to sit at.
I surrendered to my natural instinct to sit with someone I know, and plopped my protesting butt down on a table across from Atas' Valum, who, apparently, knew none of his own species either. Though the Sangheilli had not yet showed any signs of social divisions like my own species had, here at lunch they were sitting in close knit groups, eating ravenously with warrior shouts complementing their feast.
After wandering through hallways filled to burst with a motley crew of species, I was a little surprised to see the definite species line. Not a single table had both a Human and Sangheilli on it, except for mine.
Automatically, it seemed as if every eye in the room turned on me. As Atas' tried to make conversation, to which I responded with noncommittal grunts, I caught some dirty looks from some fellow Humans.
However, as soon as I spotted a particular group of Humans walking toward me, I knew I was in trouble. Their very bodies radiated an aura of douchebag. There were four of them, three boys and one girl. The boys wore wife beater tank tops and ripped jeans, and two of them were shaved. The girl was your typical high school slut, following around the most badass of the badass. The guys were simply talking to each other, until they spotted me. I felt like a small, helpless little insect as a vintage LeBron sneaker descended on me (At this point I wondered why I thought of LeBron sneakers, considering they are 700 years old and cost hundreds of thousands). They walked over, seemingly harmless, but I could tell from their eyes that they were going to do something.
I tried to break eye contact, but it was too late. A good tray-full of cafeteria food landed on my lap, ruining my vintage 50 year old Apocalyptic Glory Galaxy Tour T-Shirt. The guy who had dropped it on me, the only one who didn't have a shaved head, muttered an "oops" as he walked away, barely concealing a chuckle.
Then, a vicious roar echoed from my table. I turned around to see Atas' jumping up to his full height, leaping over the table and landing in front of Tray Dropping Douchebag. He grabbed the kid by the collar, and lifted him a good 2 feet up to eye level.
Atas' snarled quietly into the kid's face as the rest of his troop stood terrified behind their leader. I was borderline hyperventilating at this point. Having a eight and a half foot tall Sangheilli roar less then a meter away from you is not pleasing to the ears.
"Apologize, now," the towering Sangheilli whispered.
By now the whole cafeteria was turned toward the spectacle.
"NOW!" came the swift command from Atas'.
Douchebag obliged, stammering out, "Sorry, dude. My...my...my bad. My bad, okay?"
Atas' nodded, seemingly satisfied, and dropped the kid on his ass. Douchebag quickly stood up and ran for it, with Skinhead 1 and Skinhead 2 running next to him, and Average High School Slut in their wake.
I turned back toward Atas', who was calmly sitting back down again, despite the mutterings and stares that came from the crowded room.
"What the hell was that?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.
"I'm sorry," Atas' admonished, sounding genuinely apologetic. "On Sangheillios, spilling food on someone else is a cruel insult. It is difficult to find food on our planet, and wasting some in order to disgrace another person is the ultimate act of loathing. It is improper and even illegal to do so, and can result in harsh punishments. You had done nothing to deserve this. I understand, however, that the custom is not the same here on Earth. I apologize for my error."
"Dude," I said, "Don't be sorry. You just kicked that guy's ass. Psychologically, I mean. You probably caused some serious neural trauma there."
"And... that is a good thing?" Atas' asked.
"If you're doing it to a douchebag like that, hell yeah! Seriously though, thanks a lot. I appreciate it, Atas'."
"You're welcome, Kenneth." he replied, looking up and smiling a little.
Yes, high school was going to be interesting indeed.
>>>>>>>>>RECORDING LOG ONE TERMINATED
>>>>>>>>>ENDING PLAYBACK SESSION
Babylon HIgh Day 2
Date: 27 August 2009, 1:23 pm
>>>////ONI Transmission >>>////Priority Alpha Record Log- Journal Excerpt
>>>////Project Babylon - WARNING: TOP SECRET EYES ONLY
Western Long Island, New York
Earth- 2701
1946 Hours
Mission Clock: Day 2
I'm not going to even bother to attempt to explain today in words. Lets just head right to the memories, shall we?
>>>>>>>>>>ACCESSING>>>MEMORY LOG ENGAGED
>>>>>>>>>>PLAYBACK INITIATED
I woke up in the morning fairly confident that I had at least a basic idea of Babylon High. Having finished off the day before with several more boring explanations about course goals (excluding the memorable time in Combat Training class), I assumed that today the real work would begin. I wasn't sure how I felt about not seeing Atas' Valum anymore (after all, that escapade during lunch pretty much insured his expulsion from the program), but I was positive that I was not the least bit excited for Day 2 of Babylon High.
The second day started off the same as the first. I arrived at Babylon High in my Mom's car, me being the only one to do so, because I was the only student in the school who was actually from Long Island. I walked up the drab courtyard to the front doors. Then I walked through the front doors. Then I walked to the administration desk. Then I walked to me pre-determined seat (117) in the auditorium portion of the lobby. Then I waited for ten minutes. Then the Sangheilli students walked in. Then they sat down. And then Atas' Valum sat next to me.
I did a double take to make sure it was him, but sure enough, there he was, in all his big fucker glory. After staring at him for a good twenty seconds, he finally noticed and turned to me.
"Is something wrong, Kenneth?" he asked, sounding puzzled.
"Uh..." I eloquently began, "yeah, something's wrong. Why are you here?"
Atas' ignored my rude tone, which I had gotten used to by now (I had only seen this Sangheilli offended by one thing, and that was Douchebag dumping a trayful of cafeteria slop on my lap), and responded. "I go to this school, remember?"
"Well, yeah," I said, "but I wouldn't think any more. I mean, you kinda beat the crap out of another student. True, I know you were in all my classes after lunch, but I figured that you would get expelled after school or something. Considering the importance of this social experiment thingy, I didn't think the whole "three strikes" system would apply."
Atas' seemed genuinely confused by my assumptions. "Well, Kenneth, you are right, I was confronted by Esteemed Cleric Vasu' Gedam and Co-Director Halsey, and they did ask me about our encounter in the cafeteria, but upon me explaining to them the reasons for my actions, they said that it was all alright."
"They just let you go?" I asked, astounded.
"Well, yes, I suppose you can say that. I do not believe I was ever captured in the first place, but assuming I was, the did let me go," Atas' replied.
"What happened to Douchebag?" I said, smothering a chuckle.
"Who?"
"Sorry, uh, the guy who dumped the food on me."
"Oh. I do not know. I saw him enter the Directors' office after I exited. I can only assume he was executed."
I spluttered I bit. "Executed?" I gaped, "What the hell?"
"Oh, I apologize," Atas' amended, "I forgot the customs are not the same on your planet. On Sangheillios, the wasting of food in order to insult a person results in death due to the scarcity of sustenance. What is the appropriate punishment for doing so on your planet?"
"Well, in high school, normally a rap on the knuckle and a reprimand, but in this place, I don't know." My head was immediately filled with several graphic images of the many methods of execution Douchebag could have faced. It made me smile, then cringe at my morbid tendencies. I shook off the thoughts and turned to face the holo-screen at the end of the rows of the chairs, which had just turned on. Atas', just as he had done yesterday, jumped to rapt attention and abandoned our conversation for the sake of the presentation.
I scarcely listened to the speakers, considering it was more of the same bullshit they fed us yesterday; eons of intergalactic peace, fruitful co-existence, that crap. I did pay enough attention to notice that there was no mention of the cafeteria incident yesterday.
Oh, so they're trying to keep in under wraps, I thought, bit of a useless gesture, considering the whole cafeteria saw it. Jeez, I wasn't even called up for questioning. How the hell do they run this school?
The opening speeches concluded, and it was time for us to head to our classes.
My first real day at Babylon High School (The Worst Social Experiment Ever) had just began.
After homeroom, we were all told to head to our classes. Considering Atas' had all of his courses with me, I just stayed with him. I wouldn't say we were friends, I mean I know he did a lot for me, but I barely knew the guy. It was just he was the only one I knew in this school, and I didn't want to be completely alone.
I won't bore myself with going back over the details of my math classes. It'll suffice to say that they were a lot harder than anything I'd ever done before, and that trigonometry sucks ass.
Human history was the same stuff as usual, but I've always been interested by history, so it was fun for me. I regretted the fact that it was dumbed down (in my eyes) for the Sangheilli's benefit, but I wasn't surprised by it. After all, most of these Sangheilli new less about Human history than a kindergartner.
The same was true for me in Sangheilli, history, however. I had read up on my basic stuff, I knew that they were a combat based people, very concerned about family honor, and that their true civilization had begun with the uncovering of Forerunner relics on their homeworld. After that they met the San'Shyumm, shit went down, there was a war, more shit went down, they joined the Covenant, even more shit went down, and that's pretty much it. There was that whole war with the Human Race that almost wiped us off the face of the universe, but I think everyone knows about that.
I was surprised to find out how much more there was to the Sangheilli race. Again, I'm not here to re-count a history lesson, but the highlights of my introductory class were very interesting. The ancient culture of the Sangheilli is vaguely similar to the warrior rituals of Human Mayan tribes, and their caste system today remains the same from the one used millennia ago.
After my lesson, I was looking forward to another day of learning Sangheilli history, but regrettably my anticipation was replaced with fear at having to face another lunch period.
I walked into the cafeteria as obscurely as possible considering there is only one entrance and exit to the room, and quickly power-walked over to the buffet line. I kept my head down as I gathered my food, and I quickly looked around for a place to sit. As soon as I lifted my head, up, however, I saw any number of eyes staring at me.
Ahhhh, fuck it, everyone remembers you from yesterday already, I thought, and I boldly walked through the staring masses and took my now apparently permanent seat across from Atas' Valum. As soon as I sat down, however, I began to notice that the looks trained on me were not ones of disdain and resentment, as they had been yesterday, but rather ones of fearful respect. I also observed that everyone was all too keen, at least everyone of my species, not to look directly at Atas'.
Shit, did I just get associated with the baddest motherfucker in school? Damn, that's a first.
I glanced at Atas' to see if he was noticing this newfound respect and fear, only to find him staring almost fiercely at a Sangheilli table a few dozen meters away. More specifically, staring at one particular member of that table.
Up until now, I had not mentioned the differences between sexes of Sangheilli. I only do it now because it seems important at this point in the day. Female Sangheilli, if you want to tell them apart from males, have thin, low, shoulders, wide, gentle eyes, are proportionally short in stature, and, most obviously, have a small ridge running along the top of their head to the apex of their spine. Males are pretty much the opposite; broad shoulders, narrow, unforgiving eyes, tall forms, and no ridge on the head. I'm also guessing the female Sangheilli had... um... lady parts, but I really wasn't to keen to find out. I'll leave the kinky inter-species stuff to sick druggies on acid trips.
Anyway, guess which sex Atas' was staring at.
I was so relieved to not be the only one with problems (I assumed Atas' was having a problem with this girl because she was sitting at that table, and not at ours), that I didn't even bother with tactfulness.
"So..."I said with as much of a sly inflection I could muster, "what are you staring at?"
"That Human over there appears to be sucking up milk through a straw into his nasal cavity. Why do you suppose he is doing that?" Atas' asked.
I looked again, and sure enough, next to the female Sangheilli's table, clearly occupying Atas's full attention, was some dude sucking up milk into his nose through a straw like a fucking third grader.
Aww, fuck, now I'm the only one with problems again. Fucking Atas' and his non-existent scandalous love life...
"Cause he's a retard," I sighed.
Atas' nodded in understanding and got to work on his meal of wriggling orange grub worms.
After lunch, it was time for me to head to Combat Training with Atas'. Now, yesterday Combat Training, which was by far the most interesting class I chose, was pretty much a free period. No teacher was on station in the gymnasium where it was to be held, and the students (mostly Sangheilli, though there were a couple of my species there as well) were left to their own devices by the absence of authority.
It was quite different when we entered the room, however. As soon as I walked into the gym, I noticed it was dark. Very, very dark. As in no windows, and no lights dark. Shortly after that, something very hard and very fast smacked me in-between the shoulder blades. It was rather much like being hit with a large hover-truck. I fell on my back and promptly crawled into a fetal position, moaning in agony. The lights were turned back on.
I looked around to see myself and the rest of the Humans in the room (about six) rolling around in agony on the floor. The eighteen or so Sangheilli were all standing up, however, across from much larger and older Sangheilli teachers. The teachers were holding double-ended staffs, and the students were gripping one of the ends. It was apparent that there was one teacher for each of us, they had ambushed us in the dark, and all of the Sangheilli were able to catch the attack and block it. The Humans in the room (my brethren, oh what a magnificently athletic species we are) were not so lucky.
The Sangheilli instructor standing over me, a gruff withered Sangheilli who looked like he could give Atas' a run for his money in a fight, held out a hand for me to take.
"Up, Human scum. If I were holding a true weapon, you would be lying in bloody ribbons right now."
"And if I was," I coughed, "a big fat lawsuit would be dropped on your ass."
Obviously, that earned me a sharp rap on the head with the staff, which seemed like its ends were filled with cement.
"Okay, okay, I'm getting up..." I whimpered.
After all the Humans in the room were cleared for the class (by that I mean they had no fatal injuries, at least no visible ones), two of the Sangheilli instructors nodded to the others, and they filed out of the room. That left about 25 students with two bad-ass Sangheilli combat veterans, one of them being the guy who smacked me in the chest, the other looking so old and jacked that I wouldn't be surprised if he fought in the Human-Covenant war.
We were all given ceremonial combat armor (the Human version was decorated the same as the Sangheilli but tailored to fit our bodies) and told to circle up around a foam ring in the middle of the gym. Holo-safety fences formed the circumference of the ring.
One of my fellow Humans remarked as the jacked Sangheilli teacher helped him put on his armor, "Hey, how come we didn't get this stuff before you smacked us when we walked in?"
He was immediately smacked on the head with the staff again.
"If you were," answered Jacked Bad-Ass Motherfucker Alien Dude (JBMAD), "I would have just hit you upside the head, welp. Now circle up!"
JBMAD's partner, Guy Who Smacked Me Upon My Entry Into Combat Training Class (GWSMUMEICTC) stepped into the ring and yelled at us to listen up.
"In this room, all of you, Sangheilli and Human, are to abide by the ancient rules of Sangheilli Combat. Your strength will be tested, your speed will be tested, your endurance will be tested, your wit will be tested, and most of all, your honor will be tested. My name is Geto' Endam, and this is my mentor, Keno' Matrum. You will obey our every command, you will internalize our every word. You will now swear to uphold the laws of Sangheillios."
This last command prompted all the Sangheilli in the room to proclaim, "EVEN TO OUR DYING BREATH."
I quickly muttered out of the corner of my mouth, attempting to follow, "Evetouou dying breath. Yeah. To our dying breath! Yeah!"
JBMAD looked at me with a gaze that could melt steel. I quickly looked at my feet, willing them to take me somewhere were I would not be brutally murdered by JBMAD and GWSMUMEICTC. My feet, being the dickheads that they are, did nothing.
Anyway, GWSMUMEICTC, or Geto' Endam, or whatever, finished off his speech.
"Welcome to Combat Training. Prepare for hell."
Pardon the pun, but I sure as hell was not prepared for hell.
I stumbled out of Combat Training class in a daze. I had felt pain before; that experience is one of the many downsides of being a human, but this was different. It's not that the pain was particularly worse than anything I'd dealt with, it was just that the pain seemed to have spread everywhere. Every bit of my body ached, and that's not an exaggeration. The intense exercises that JBMAD and, uh, damn I forgot my acronym for him, anyway, the exercises that JBMAD and other Sangheilli put me through left me with a dull, permeating ache covering my entire body. Judging by the grimaces on my fellow Humans' faces, I guessed they weren't feeling much better. The Sangheilli, however, especially Atas', looked like they had just woken up from a rather pleasant nap.
I was beginning to envy those guys.
Still, a small feeling of calm began to grow inside me. The day was almost half over, and I had not seen any hint of Douchebag and his gang of stereotypical high school delinquents. I was dreading him, or his gang, coming to get revenge on me for Atas' little demonstration of Sangheilli temper in the cafeteria yesterday, and the fact that I had not seen nor heard of any plots to beat the shit out of me only increased my relief.
The rest of my day was equally uneventful. I went to Science, where I got a good look at the inside of the Sangheilli brain through some holo-images. After that I finished the day with a nice relaxing psychological course about the Sangheill. I say relaxing because the dull, constant pain all over my body finally broke my conscious self and I drifted off to sleep next to Atas' in the back of the lecture hall.
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That was it for the second day. Now I'm going to sleep. I know its barely eight o'clock, but my chest hurts like a bitch.
Fucking JBMAD and his now acronym-less sidekick.
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>>>>>>>>>ENDING PLAYBACK SESSION
Babylon High Day 3
Date: 11 September 2009, 1:53 am
>>>////ONI Transmission >>>////Priority Alpha Record Log- Journal Excerpt
>>>////Project Babylon - WARNING: TOP SECRET EYES ONLY
Western Long Island, New York
Earth- 2701
2348 Hours
Mission Clock: Day 19
Damn, it's been a while since I thought-keyed anything down. I guess I can contribute my lack of dedication to this journal to the fact that there has been absolutely nothing interesting going on at Babylon High. Well, before today, that is. I'll just straight up say it to avoid annoyingly suspenseful narratives. I almost died today. Yep. I almost ended my unfortunately brief time in this universe a bit early today. Definitely a frightening thought, and yet it barely fazes me at all now. I guess I'm still in shock. Anyway, here goes.
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>>>>>>>>>PLAYBACK REINITIATED
The day started just like the previous 18 others I've had at Babylon High. I woke up, ate breakfast, and headed off to be a guinea pig in a social experiment. I'm kind of depressed that I've gotten used to that by now, but what can I do about it, right?
The pep talks about inter-species co-existence had stopped at about day 10, and now everyone just walked right to their homerooms. Homeroom was fairly normal, I listened to announcements, got bugged by Atas', did some last minute homework, got bugged by Atas', fruitlessly attempted to flirt with some hot girls, got bugged (and cockblocked at this point) by Atas', cursed my luck, and was bugged by Atas' some more.
Ah well, I still love that guy.
Still, I should have figured that the day was going to suck simply based on the way Trigonometry started. Here's a quick summary.
Mr. Burke (Marginally Passable Trigonometry Teacher): "Are you ready for the test today, Kenneth?"
Me (Borderline Depressed Unwilling Guinea Pig in Worst Social Experiment Ever): "Oh yeah, of course."
Shit, shit, fuck, fuck, what fucking test? Oh fucking shit fuck I'm fucked up the fucking ass I know jack-fucking-shit about fucking trigonometry fucking shit fuck shitty ass fucking shit sauce.
Mr. Burke: Great, I'm sure you'll do fine.
Me: I sure hope so Mr. Burke.
Mr. Burke: (Hands me the Test) Good luck!
OH FUCKING SHIT NOW I REMEMBER THIS IS THE FUCKING MID-TERM PRE-TEST IT COUNTS FOR FUCKING HALF MY FUCKING SEMESTER GRADE HOLY FUCKING SHIT I'M FUCKED SO HARD THIS TIME FUCKING CHRIST WHY THE FUCK DON'T I EVER DO ANYTHING REMOTELY FUCKING INTELLIGENT EVER IN THE HISTORY OF MY FUCKING LIFE.
Atas' (Annoyingly Pleasant Huge Sangheilli): Good luck, Kenneth.
Me: Yeah, you too.
Go fuck yourself you fucking split-jawed fucking ass-face. I hope your cock gets boiled in chocolate sauce and you impale yourself on a dull spoon by slipping on your own blood that was spilled from the ass-raping you got from a ugly Jiralhanae that reminded you vaguely of Bob Saget. Goddamnit, fucking shit, I'm a racist prick. And who the fuck is Bob Saget? Jesus Christ I need a psychiatrist.
Obviously, I failed the test.
History, which is normally by far my best subject, was not much better. Human History was just another average class period, but I completely forgot the names of all the rulers of the Tenamum' dynasty during Sangheilli History and failed the test during that class period.
Then Lunch.
I had long ago stopped fearing for my safety, due to the fact I had heard that Douchebag had been expelled due to culturally insulting Atas' on my first day (yeah, he dumped a tray of cafeteria food on me, and the Sangheilli gets culturally insulted, oh well), and his gang had long ago disbanded without their complete hive mind. However, this didn't make lunch any more pleasant. No one would even go near my table ever since Atas' became the scariest fucking dude in school and I had been sitting next to him since before that happened. I couldn't talk to members of my own species, and Sangheilli seemed to regard me like they regarded all my brethren, with ample amounts of disdain and resentment.
I swear, other than Atas', they're all sanctimonious pricks.
Also, I got to Lunch late do to the scolding I got from my Sangheilli teacher for failing his History test, and all of the Human food was gone. I was forced to endure a meal of orange grub worms, which despite Atas' saying were excellent, tasted like shit that had been eaten and regurgitated several times. All in all, not a great Lunch period.
Then, Combat Training. And so began the unfortunate cycle of events that would ultimately lead to me fully recognizing my own mortality.
After only 18 days of it, I have already ranked the decision to take Combat Training as a course as one of the top five worst decisions I've ever made. Since the first lesson, our Sangheilli instructors (Jacked Bad-Ass Motherfucker Alien Dude and Geto Endam') had been teaching us all different forms of combat techniques. And this isn't that self-defense bullshit that they teach you in martial arts classes, Sangheilli are not about passiveness and defensiveness. Here we learned how to charge an opponent, always make the first move, tackle, grab, slash, stab, parry, etc. We were given staffs, swords, knives (all holo of course, no real stuff) and sometimes just our fists. To make it fairer, for the first semester we would only be fighting members of our own species. Geto Endam' and Jacked Bad-Ass Motherfucker Alien Dude were not at all hesitant about telling us Humans what worthless pieces of weak trash we were. Considering there were millions of cameras all over the school, including the gym, obviously the staff knew they were saying this, and chose not to do a goddamn thing about it.
Anyway, here's how it happened.
I had stepped into the holo-ring with another fellow student, some pot-head named Jake. Now I know I'm one of the worst Human fighters in the class, but I also knew I could wipe the floor with Jake. I confidently charged forward, spinning my staff in an intimidating circle like Geto Endam' had showed me, and promptly lost my grip on the weapon. It went cart-wheeling through the air like some kind of cheerleader's baton out of hell, and smacked some Sangheilli right in the face.
Yeah, shit.
He fell on his ass, clutching his lower mandibles. Purplish blood spewed forth from his mouth, and his eyes were wide with a mixture of disbelief and anger. Lots and lots of anger.
The rest of the Sangheilli in the class, a good 17 aliens, began to walk forward menacingly. JBMAD and Geto Endam' stepped in front of the line of murderous Sangheilli, and Atas' quickly joined them. As much as I appreciated him getting my back, I doubt even Atas' could stop 18 pissed off Sangheilli.
However, he didn't need to. Sangheilli are obsessed with maintaining a code of honor, and if a superior class, like JBMAD and Geto Endam' tells you not to do something, you don't do it. No words needed to be spoken, and the Sangheilli stepped back to help their fallen comrade.
Geto Endam' turned around slowly to face me. He beckoned me with his hand, and I slowly stepped out of the holo-ring, preparing to be chewed out beyond all recognition.
He was surprisingly gentle.
"You incompetent piece of Human filth. You little sniveling, groveling, insignificant, disgraceful whelp. Have you no sense at all, you puny, worthless sack of skin. You are worse than a child, not able to even hold a simple weapon. You are so unbelievably pathetic that I should beat some brains into you, you disgrace of a Human..."
At this point, JBMAD, the kinder of the two, despite his acronym, walked up to us.
"That's enough, Geto," he said quietly.
Then he turned to me. He spoke in the same quite voice, but added a lot more than just a hint of menace to it. "Don't do that again."
Honestly, I was more frightened of those four words than Geto Endam's whole speech about how worthless I am.
My unfortunate victim was led to the infirmary, despite his assurances he could continue the class, by JBMAD. There were only a few minutes left of class, and we finished without a hitch.
The rest of my day, however, was bathed in fear.
Apparently Sangheilli have some sort of telekinesis, because less than two minutes after I left the gym every alien in the school stared at me like they knew exactly what I did and were planning how to punish me for it. Atas' stayed right next to me, flanking me like some bodyguard, but I knew despite his massive stature he couldn't handle a mob of Sangheilli.
"Listen, Kenneth," Atas' reassured me, "do not worry. It was an accident. I am sure that he will be fine, and so will you. Ignore the glances of my people, it shames me that they would look at you like this when you have done nothing wrong."
"Thanks, Atas'. So you think that this whole thing will blow over, right. I mean, Sangheilli don't hold grudges, right?" I asked.
"Uh..." he hesitated, "actually, Sangheilli are known for holding grudges for dozens of generations, and carry them down through their bloodline."
I am so fucked.
"Great..." I groaned, "awesome."
"Pardon me, Kenneth," Atas' said, "but I do not see how your position is that great."
"Remind me to teach you what sarcasm is one day. If I survive long enough to do so..."
"Have faith Kenneth," Atas' said.
"I have faith that I will have my ass raped, if that's what you're saying," I responded.
I managed to survive through the rest of the school day, and when the final bell rang, I felt a feeling of immaculate relief. I made the mistake of running out the door, not waiting for Atas' and sprinting towards the parking lot where I would be picked up.
I found an army of Sangheilli waiting.
The guy I hit was in the front, a bandage wrapped around his lower mandibles.
"Ish thime to thy, phuny Hoooman." he growled menacingly, my translator not being able to recognize his slurred speech.
Of course, since I'm dumb enough to make my day worse, I chuckled at his speech impediment.
The mob started towards me.
"Hey, wait a minute guys, don't you think that this is a little cliche?" I asked.
Shockingly, the Sangheilli stopped.
On a roll, I continued. "I mean, in every comedy-vid about high school, the protagonist gets beat up by bullies, but then he goes through a training montage and fights back and kicks their asses. You know what's going to happen, and this whole situation is painfully predictable. Come on, have some... uh... honor! Yeah, that's it, tons of honor. Honor coming out the fucking ass, baby. You guys leave me alone, you'll be so fucking honorable that... uh... you ancestors will be happy with you and shit. It'll be fucking awesome, yo. You'll go to heaven, and they'll be like 'fuck yeah, mothafucka' you got so much fucking hona' you, you da' shit, dawg.' Seriously, guys. What would Jesus do?"
The Sangheilli looked at each other, considering this.
Desperate, I played my trump card. "Hey, you know there are cameras covering every inch of this building, right?"
One of them shouted out, his yell translated for me through my earpiece, "Yes, I agree, despite the fact I could not understand much of what the Human just said. This whole situation is being observed by... uh... I mean... it's dishonorable and predictable. I say we just leave."
Amazingly, murmurs of agreement spread through the group. The leader of the mob shook his head at me, and walked away behind the school. The mob followed.
Stunned, at both me being alive and my rapid transition to ghetto lingo, I began crossing the street toward the parking lot. Then a hover car almost ran me over.
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The moral of today's story? No matter what I do to get out of the most ridiculous situations, another even more ridiculous and extremely ironic situation arises that I can do nothing to stop.
In layman's terms, my life sucks.
>>>>>>>>>RECORDING LOG THREE TERMINATED
>>>>>>>>>ENDING PLAYBACK SESSION
Babylon High Day 4
Date: 18 September 2009, 12:14 am
>>>////ONI Transmission >>>////Priority Alpha Record Log- Journal Excerpt
>>>////Project Babylon - WARNING: TOP SECRET EYES ONLY
Orbital Observation Platform Infocus over Neptune
Earth- 2701
2550 Hours
Mission Clock: Day 46
The time I had spent at Babylon High over the past 30 days or so has been the worst in my life.
I remained ever-lonesome, my only solace in the dismal building Atas', who had become, without a shadow of a doubt, the best friend I ever had. But it was all for naught, and I felt no true kinship with anyone anymore. I barely felt anything at all.
Classes gradually had become more and more dull. My entire routine had fallen into one blob of hazy summarization; I learned things I would undoubtedly forget the next day. My life was severely pathetic, and I began to spiral towards a depression. Gone was the snarky, well-beloved charm I prided myself on. No one else did, but I prided myself on it. I slowly began tearing my own psyche apart, with more than a little help from the unvarying monotony of the high school.
I found I could no longer function at home. All of my lessons had been drilled into my subconscious, and though I had no trouble with school-work, but I could not longer talk to my parents. All my old contacts with friends from middle school and my last high school were severed. The only person I could truly talk to was Atas', and he had been falling into an even worse rut than I did.
The naivety that had haunted Atas' had finally caught up to him, and after 40 days of prejudice, segregation, dullness, and routine he had finally broken. His faith in the system, outlasting anyone else in the school, was finally destroyed. He barely spoke, and only listened. He seemed weak, and diminished.
Sangheilli, Humans; that, that place had gotten to them. They could no longer think for themselves, free will had become a four-letter word, and the once specious nature of a glorious inter-species high school had left even the most naive of minds. The teachers feigned ignorance, but I saw it in their eyes.
They were scared.
They were the same as us.
It's like they were zombies... it's like they were inhuman. In fact, they almost were. Because I found out the truth. I finally did. And I thought it was over.
But its not over, is it?
It's not the end.
I'm not going to say it, because if i do, this whole damn situation will get so fucking cliche that I'm going to have to kill myself. But if its not the end, what do you think it is?
Yeah, that.
>>>>>>>>>ACCESSING MEMORY LOGS
>>>>>>>>>PLAYBACK REINITIATED
>>>>>>>>>**WARNING: ANOMALY DETECTED IN SUBJECT'S MEMORY PATTERNS. RECOMMEND LOG FOR PSYCHIC ANALYSIS
I woke up in the morning without feeling. I showered without feeling. I ate without feeling. I went to school without feeling. I walked through the doors without feeling.
Then, as soon as the first bell rang, the pain started.
I had never felt it before. School had been emotionally destructive to me for a good week and a half now, but this was different than just a heaviness inside me. This was true pain. It began in the back of my throat, then squirmed its way up my mouth, writhing and spreading like some sort of parasite. I felt unclean with it inside me.
I went to Trigonometry with Atas'. He remained distant, but I could tell he was listening when I talked to him. I think talking to him helped keep me sane enough to still be human. Atas', though he could not speak anymore, still had the remains of a hopeful glint in his eyes.
It gave me hope too.
I walked to History. My once favorite subject had lost its appeal. It was just another cog in the wheel of my tortuous cycle. I learned things that I can not remember, but at the same time I know by heart. It's as if they're pushing everything down deep inside of me, where I can't reach it, but where they can pull it out whenever they want.
The teachers don't want to do it though. They have pained looks on their faces as they teach. I've seen them turn their backs and cry when the bell rings, as their unwilling pawns file out obediently. No one else notices. No one else is programmed to noticed.
I try to act inconspicuous, try to seem like I am one of them, that I do not have shred of a soul left in me.
It's not hard.
What I see is enough to rip the soul right out of me.
I talk to Atas' some more, about nothing important. I talk about celebrities, girls I think are hot, sports, our parents. Anything but the school. Anything but the school. I need to stay sane, I need to talk to him, I need to know that someone is listening, someone still cares.
It happens during lunch. Doesn't it always.
As the pack moves toward the lunch-room, unflinching, unwavering, their eyes glazed from the day of programming they received, I stop. Dead.
The pack shifts around me, not noticing the one rebel in their flock. Atas' is slightly behind me. A moment arrives. He sees me stopped, and tries to do the same. I see him struggling, his feet twitching as they walk, signals being blasted from the small battalion of sanity he has left, trying to win this one last guerilla assault against the program. I watch an epic war unfold inside him. The rebels are fighting hard, fighting for their honor, their families, their loved ones. But although one of them is worth one million of the enemy, still, the enemy is too great. There are too many. The attack fails.
Atas' keeps walking.
One soldier crawls, mortally wounded on the battlefield. The enemy, finally having drawn the rebels out of hiding, walk about the field, finishing the job, taking full control. This soldier sees the carnage in front of him, and suddenly one of the commanders appear. He orders his men to ruthlessly execute any wounded. The soldier sees his chance. His one chance to make a difference. He charges the commander, knife in hand. Bullets crash into him, but he keeps running, hope fueling his body. The knife pierces the commander's neck, killing him, severing the chain of command for one brief second.
Atas' turns his head.
He looks right at me.
I see his thoughts.
Run, Kenneth.
I respond.
I will. But not yet..
Atas' keeps walking, finally one of them.
And I am alone.
I act.
I sprint away from the pack, running down the corridors of the school, feeling the eyes of the cameras watching me. I don't care.
I don't know what I'm looking for, but I know it must be close.
I find myself in the lobby. The mirrors on the floor and ceiling reflect me in infinity. My torture reflects in infinity. I know I have little time, and soon I will break too.
I remember watching Dr. Halsey and the Cleric leaving through doors behind the holo-screen at the end of the auditorium. I know now I must start there. I hear footsteps approaching. I know they will find me.
I find the door behind the holo-screen, a sliding mechanism on rails. Its armor plated, and its locked. I bang on it, screaming at the cliche of it all. I feel the battle starting inside me as well. There are more rebels on my side, and the battle is more even than it was with Atas'. Still, I know I do not have much time. I need to open the door. I need to see behind it.
Two security guards, both huge Sangheilli, start toward me, running from one of the many hallways leading toward the inner bowels of the school. I see it in their eyes as they close in; they are more far gone than any of the students. They have no souls left in them, and most likely hadn't for quite some time. I pity them.
Then I pity myself.
A roar echoes in the hall. Two other Sangheilli, dressed in Combat armor, charge the guards. The guards may be large, but lack of a soul leaves an enemy with no will to fight. The other two Sangheilli grapple their enemies, and hurl them to the ground. A quick strike incapacitates both of them.
I know these Sangheilli, but my mind begins to fail me. Their names can not be placed. However, they both charge the armor plated door, their roars vibrating the walls of the lobby. The door crumples inward.
I do not thank them. They know it is not needed.
The door beckons. I rush in. More footsteps, and this time plasma shots, sound out from the lobby.
No more chances are being taken. I am going to be killed.
Finally, I look at my surroundings.
A control center circles me. The door I entered is on the circumference of a 50 sq. meter room, covered with control panels. Another door is directly opposite mine.
Camera screens show every angle in the entire school, with no blank spots.
The pain is stronger here, nearly overwhelming. My army inside me screams out at me, telling me the lines are falling. Too many are dying.
I feel myself slipping away.
I know this place is important, and by that logic it must be destroyed. I find a small metal tool lying in front of an open control panel. I begin to hack and destroy.
Sparks and bits of metal fly everywhere, and camera screens turn blank. Alarms ring, then are silenced. I sprint around the room, smashing everything until my tool breaks in half.
I look around, panting. I feel elated.
Wait, I feel. I can feel.
The pain is gone.
The rebel army stands victorious, cheering over the dead enemy. They chant my name.
"Kenneth! Kenneth! Kenneth!"
"Kenneth, Kenneth!" a voice stirs me out of my vision.
I look up. JBMAD and Geto Endam' are standing there. Their Combat armor is scorched, and plasma rifles are in their hands. The spread their mandibles wide, the Sangheilli equivalent of a smile.
"Holy shit, am I glad to see you guys. You saved my ass back there!" I exclaim, reveling in the profanity, reveling in the exclamation, reveling in the variety.
"No, Kenneth," said Jacked Bad-Ass Motherfucker Alien Dude, "you saved all of us."
"Bullshit," interjected Geto Endam', "we saved his pasty ass."
With the monstrous control equipment destroyed, the whole school wakes from a stupor. The glazed eyes are replaced with wide glances of confusion and disorientation. Teachers, being held against their will, and forced to impose these lessons of mind control on their students, are struck by a feeling of freedom.
The Beatles song rings in my ears. Come together, right now.... I laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Cheers rip through the halls, tearing down the dismal disarray of the past weeks. You can almost hear the music in the background, as if a revolution had just come full swing.
And it had.
I ran down the halls, flying through corridors. Humans that had barely known me gave me looks of respect and admiration. Girls kissed me, guys clasped my arm. Sangheilli slapped me on the back.
The ironic part is no-one knew what I had done. I was just another face in the crowd, and that was all it took.
Finally, I saw Atas'. No words were necessary.
He nodded at me. I nodded back.
It had been a long year.
>>>>>>>>>>ACCESSING>>>MEMORY LOG DISENGAGED
>>>>>>>>>>PLAYBACK TERMINATED
We arrived at a Neptune orbital defense platform later that evening, Earth time.
A total of 372 students escaped from Babylon High alive. A force of ONI soldiers and Sangheilli warriors met a rag-tag army of teachers and students in the drab courtyard in front of the school. The battle is a haze now, I don't remember much other than flashing weapons and moving bodies. It was actually like a rave, come to think of it.
Without the crappy music. So in a way, it was better than a rave.
When reinforcements arrived from the UNSC in Pelicans and Phantoms, the ONI forces were devastated and what was left of the school was able to escape. I won't bother specifying how many of each species made it, because there are no more lines between us. Sangheilli and Humans are together now. If you try to ignore the sheer ridiculousness of this whole situation that is.
It's about freakin' time. I'm glad that there's no more danger of some pissed of Sangheilli smashing my head through a window because I insulted his honor in some obscure manner.
To clear up a few 'unimportant' details, Babylon High was actually a major part of an elaborate ONI coup attempt to debase Earth's government. Section 3 orchestrated the whole thing to brainwash a generation of Human and Sangheilli and turn them into super-soldiers; totally obedient. It almost worked. Earth and the UNSC, and the Sangheilli government, are currently at war with ONI and their Sangheilli co-conspirators. Dr. Halsey and the Cleric are now war criminals.
As for me and Atas', our status has been changed to refugees. Whilst I'm happy to live out my life on some random outer colony with my parents, who were rescued from Earth a few hours ago, Atas' is going to train to be a Sangheilli Honor Guard for the council. Good for fucking him. I would just be glad if I never have to see another combat situation again.
Of course, that's not the case is it?
Considering I was the only one able to resist the brainwashing going on at Babylon High, I'm now somewhat of a hero. Yay. And a vital instrument in fighting ONI. I suppose I should consider myself lucky that I haven't had my brain dissected.
In one day, I went from a brainwashed kid at an inter-species high school to a hero of a group of resistance fighters.
Although I pretty much have established the fact that I can't expect anything predictable out of life, I know, for certain, one thing and one thing only.
I am never setting foot in Babylon High again.
>>>>>>>>>RECORDING LOG FOUR TERMINATED
>>>>>>>>>ENDING PLAYBACK SESSION
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