The Training
A year later.
Morning has broken and the birds around began their early summer morning chorus. The sky turned from chilly dark to pale blue. It was truly a beautiful scene, but Jamil did not care a bit. He slowly got out of his bed and carefully sneaked out of the room. He made a quick wash of himself and got the uniform ready. Then he went into the training room to practise his skills. " I must pass the test today, otherwise I will be kicked out." He thought on his way to the room.
In the first year of the training, the training programme focused on the ability of the cadets to use their extraordinary power. They have to learn to communicate telephatically in which the participants must be at least four hundred meters apart, to make sure that they know how to use their power and not to interfere that the others' movement. At first, it seemed quite difficult, but slowly Jamil learned to listen to the inner voice of his heart and realized that was actually what other people thought at the same time. He could then talk with other cadets freely throughout the campus without any difficulties. They often discussed the time for practicing and the time to play basketball in this way. Although it seemed this way of communication was quite convenient, it did have some drawbacks. One of the most serious one was someone could hack into their conversation and disturbed them. Also, sometimes he could accidentally listened to others' conversation, which he did not intend to or want to do so. Due to these reasons, Jamil made no apparent wish to go practice so early in the morning or this would be known by other cadets. He did not want to be teased by the others, especially his roommates. His roommates were powerful newtypes and they have passed their tests within the first half of the year of their stay in the Academy. They often teased Jamil, thinking his slow and 'steady'. They also knew that Jamil wanted very much like them, this made them laugh even more. As he was thinking about all this, he reached the room for practice. He logged in to the security system, placing his eyes near the detector, so that the patterns of his iris could be read. After one or two seconds, he was allowed to go in.
It was a big room, with only a few cabins at one end of the room. The cabins were the control center of the whole pre-G bits system. Pre-G bits system is the system used to train the newtype cadets on the use of the remote control power. The system consisted of a central control unit, which is to receive and interpret the commands sent out by the newtypes; and ten spheres. Each sphere weighted about ten pounds. It was red in colour, to make it more noticeable and each had a signal receiver of the control unit and a hover system to enable it to suspend in the air. These spheres were placed on the rows of shelves on the two sides of the room. When the system was enabled, these spheres would move according to the will of the people in the cabins. For scientific explanation, it was believed that the command signals of the newtypes were sent through the visual region or interpretation region of the brain. This was proved by the strong electric waves detected by either one of these two regions during experiments. However, why newtypes the only one to send out this kind of signals were still unknown.
Jamil took a deep breath and climbed into one of the cabins. He had to pass the test that day or otherwise he would be kicked out. His parents would be very disappointed and he would have no contributions to the world in the future and . He could not think of the consequences anymore or he would be distracted and could fail again. He thought of what the instructors told him the other day, '. to concentrate on the system and think of moving the spheres directly, instead of commanding the central control unit to do it for you.' He closed his eyes and imagined to move the spheres by himself. He tried to lift the spheres through his thoughts but he knew he could not lift it up. He opened his eyes and saw the spheres were still on the shelves, staying there during the whole time. He then tried again, and this time he imagined he lifted up the spheres using his hands. After several minutes, he thought he had moved the spheres at least two inches away from their original places, in vain, nothing had happened. He let out a heavy sigh and decided to try again. This time, he looked directly at the spheres on the shelves and commanded them to move, he thought he saw them move after nearly ten minutes. He was so excited and ran there to have a look. The truth was, again, the spheres had not moved an inch away. Jamil was very frustrated but still he tried again. He tried again and again for nearly two hours until he was exhausted by the anxiety and overwhelming frustration. He came out of the cabin and sat next to it. He was very depressed, he could not pass the test that and surely he had to go back home. What things would his father say to him? Would he blame him for being lazy? Would his father think that he had not tried his best? He was worried, but going back home at least had one good point: he would be home again and he had missed his home deeply. He thought of the birds that hopped around his house. When he was little, he always thought he could sit on the back of one of these birds, just like riding a horse like the adults. He thought it would be funny and smile. At this moment, he thought he heard his mother called him. No, his mother's voice was not as soft as the voice he heard at that moment. It was a very silvery voice that made one very comfortable. He opened his eyes and saw a young lady in uniform looking astonishingly at him.
"Good morning, mad.madam." Jamil was not sure how he should call her. The young lady had long, blonde hair and fair skin. Her eyes were blue and her lips were red like a rose. Her face was soft and gentle, but her gaze was clearly astonished. Jamil had a strange feeling for her: If she had not worn her uniform of a senior cadet, he would mistake her as Mary (although Mary's hair should be brown). This senior cadet was still looking at him, and seemed to search for something.
Remembering his manners, Jamil finally asked, "May I help you, madam?"
She then pointed to the spheres of the pre-G bits. "Why did you do that?"
This time, it was Jamil who was astonished, as well as overjoyed. The spheres did move. They were scattered on the ground and there were eleven of them. This meant that he had moved a set of spheres and one more from the other system. He could not believe that, about ten minutes ago, he could not move the spheres an inch away from their original positions; but then, they were scattered on the floor. It was so unbelievable. Jamil smiled happily, he did it. But how?
Seeing he was smiling happily, the senior cadet said, "I think it's good to practise controlling the pre-G bits, but I don't think it's a good idea to make them jumping around. This will damage them, you know." She gazed steadily but still softly at Jamil. Jamil did not notice her voice before, it was one of the most beautiful voice he had ever heard. It was warm and silky, and made him thought of Mary again.
" I'm sorry, I don't know how I can move the sphere and made them scattered on the floor. I have tried many times this morning, but still I could not manage to move them. I think I have to try again." Jamil said. Again, he tried, but this time he could not move them. He was frustrated and tried again. He closed his eyes and really tried hard, suddenly he felt a soft pat on his back.
"Keep your eyes closed" the senior cadet told him. "Now, think of the things you thought of just now, the things you thought of before you saw me. If you can, tell me what you are thinking. "
Again, Jamil thought of the birds hopping around. He told her and she said, "Let the birds fly." He then thought he flew with the birds, high in the sky, above his home to the forest where he could find more birds. It was amazing, he thought he was in the middle of a school of birds, flying high and freely in the air.
"Now, slowly open your eyes." She told him. What he saw was enough to let him have a joyful shout. The spheres were floating around him and suddenly the spheres started to drop. "No, keep your thoughts." She quickly told him. Then, the amazing thing happened: twelve spheres flew in the air. Jamil tried to make them fly in different directions as he pretended those spheres were the birds he imagined. He let out a boyish laugh and tried to move the spheres into different patterns. After a while, he put the spheres down and raised them up again from the ground. He succeeded and immediately thanked the senior cadet.
"Thank you, madam. Thanks for teaching me to control the pre-G bits." He said, looking right at her soft gaze.
"It's you who make this work, well done." She said with an encouraging smile.
Just then, Jamil's instructor has arrived. He saw the spheres scattered on the floor and he looked at Jamil doubtfully.
"Is this all done by you?" he asked.
"Yes, sir." Jamil gladly answered. "And thanks to this.madam, she encouraged me and taught me how to control them."
"So, you're taught by our most brilliant student, then you must pass the test." The instructor said.
"I'm sure he will," said the senior cadet, patting Jamil's shoulder supportively. "Goodbye." She said as she left the room.
Just before she left the room, the instructor called her, "Lucille, would you please go to the office by eleven in the morning? I think we have something to discuss with you." Lucille silently nodded and closed the door.
"Lucille, what a melodic name." thought Jamil. Just then, the instructor called him to have the test. And at the end of the day, Jamil was told that he scored high in the test and got promoted to a higher form.
A year later.
Morning has broken and the birds around began their early summer morning chorus. The sky turned from chilly dark to pale blue. It was truly a beautiful scene, but Jamil did not care a bit. He slowly got out of his bed and carefully sneaked out of the room. He made a quick wash of himself and got the uniform ready. Then he went into the training room to practise his skills. " I must pass the test today, otherwise I will be kicked out." He thought on his way to the room.
In the first year of the training, the training programme focused on the ability of the cadets to use their extraordinary power. They have to learn to communicate telephatically in which the participants must be at least four hundred meters apart, to make sure that they know how to use their power and not to interfere that the others' movement. At first, it seemed quite difficult, but slowly Jamil learned to listen to the inner voice of his heart and realized that was actually what other people thought at the same time. He could then talk with other cadets freely throughout the campus without any difficulties. They often discussed the time for practicing and the time to play basketball in this way. Although it seemed this way of communication was quite convenient, it did have some drawbacks. One of the most serious one was someone could hack into their conversation and disturbed them. Also, sometimes he could accidentally listened to others' conversation, which he did not intend to or want to do so. Due to these reasons, Jamil made no apparent wish to go practice so early in the morning or this would be known by other cadets. He did not want to be teased by the others, especially his roommates. His roommates were powerful newtypes and they have passed their tests within the first half of the year of their stay in the Academy. They often teased Jamil, thinking his slow and 'steady'. They also knew that Jamil wanted very much like them, this made them laugh even more. As he was thinking about all this, he reached the room for practice. He logged in to the security system, placing his eyes near the detector, so that the patterns of his iris could be read. After one or two seconds, he was allowed to go in.
It was a big room, with only a few cabins at one end of the room. The cabins were the control center of the whole pre-G bits system. Pre-G bits system is the system used to train the newtype cadets on the use of the remote control power. The system consisted of a central control unit, which is to receive and interpret the commands sent out by the newtypes; and ten spheres. Each sphere weighted about ten pounds. It was red in colour, to make it more noticeable and each had a signal receiver of the control unit and a hover system to enable it to suspend in the air. These spheres were placed on the rows of shelves on the two sides of the room. When the system was enabled, these spheres would move according to the will of the people in the cabins. For scientific explanation, it was believed that the command signals of the newtypes were sent through the visual region or interpretation region of the brain. This was proved by the strong electric waves detected by either one of these two regions during experiments. However, why newtypes the only one to send out this kind of signals were still unknown.
Jamil took a deep breath and climbed into one of the cabins. He had to pass the test that day or otherwise he would be kicked out. His parents would be very disappointed and he would have no contributions to the world in the future and . He could not think of the consequences anymore or he would be distracted and could fail again. He thought of what the instructors told him the other day, '. to concentrate on the system and think of moving the spheres directly, instead of commanding the central control unit to do it for you.' He closed his eyes and imagined to move the spheres by himself. He tried to lift the spheres through his thoughts but he knew he could not lift it up. He opened his eyes and saw the spheres were still on the shelves, staying there during the whole time. He then tried again, and this time he imagined he lifted up the spheres using his hands. After several minutes, he thought he had moved the spheres at least two inches away from their original places, in vain, nothing had happened. He let out a heavy sigh and decided to try again. This time, he looked directly at the spheres on the shelves and commanded them to move, he thought he saw them move after nearly ten minutes. He was so excited and ran there to have a look. The truth was, again, the spheres had not moved an inch away. Jamil was very frustrated but still he tried again. He tried again and again for nearly two hours until he was exhausted by the anxiety and overwhelming frustration. He came out of the cabin and sat next to it. He was very depressed, he could not pass the test that and surely he had to go back home. What things would his father say to him? Would he blame him for being lazy? Would his father think that he had not tried his best? He was worried, but going back home at least had one good point: he would be home again and he had missed his home deeply. He thought of the birds that hopped around his house. When he was little, he always thought he could sit on the back of one of these birds, just like riding a horse like the adults. He thought it would be funny and smile. At this moment, he thought he heard his mother called him. No, his mother's voice was not as soft as the voice he heard at that moment. It was a very silvery voice that made one very comfortable. He opened his eyes and saw a young lady in uniform looking astonishingly at him.
"Good morning, mad.madam." Jamil was not sure how he should call her. The young lady had long, blonde hair and fair skin. Her eyes were blue and her lips were red like a rose. Her face was soft and gentle, but her gaze was clearly astonished. Jamil had a strange feeling for her: If she had not worn her uniform of a senior cadet, he would mistake her as Mary (although Mary's hair should be brown). This senior cadet was still looking at him, and seemed to search for something.
Remembering his manners, Jamil finally asked, "May I help you, madam?"
She then pointed to the spheres of the pre-G bits. "Why did you do that?"
This time, it was Jamil who was astonished, as well as overjoyed. The spheres did move. They were scattered on the ground and there were eleven of them. This meant that he had moved a set of spheres and one more from the other system. He could not believe that, about ten minutes ago, he could not move the spheres an inch away from their original positions; but then, they were scattered on the floor. It was so unbelievable. Jamil smiled happily, he did it. But how?
Seeing he was smiling happily, the senior cadet said, "I think it's good to practise controlling the pre-G bits, but I don't think it's a good idea to make them jumping around. This will damage them, you know." She gazed steadily but still softly at Jamil. Jamil did not notice her voice before, it was one of the most beautiful voice he had ever heard. It was warm and silky, and made him thought of Mary again.
" I'm sorry, I don't know how I can move the sphere and made them scattered on the floor. I have tried many times this morning, but still I could not manage to move them. I think I have to try again." Jamil said. Again, he tried, but this time he could not move them. He was frustrated and tried again. He closed his eyes and really tried hard, suddenly he felt a soft pat on his back.
"Keep your eyes closed" the senior cadet told him. "Now, think of the things you thought of just now, the things you thought of before you saw me. If you can, tell me what you are thinking. "
Again, Jamil thought of the birds hopping around. He told her and she said, "Let the birds fly." He then thought he flew with the birds, high in the sky, above his home to the forest where he could find more birds. It was amazing, he thought he was in the middle of a school of birds, flying high and freely in the air.
"Now, slowly open your eyes." She told him. What he saw was enough to let him have a joyful shout. The spheres were floating around him and suddenly the spheres started to drop. "No, keep your thoughts." She quickly told him. Then, the amazing thing happened: twelve spheres flew in the air. Jamil tried to make them fly in different directions as he pretended those spheres were the birds he imagined. He let out a boyish laugh and tried to move the spheres into different patterns. After a while, he put the spheres down and raised them up again from the ground. He succeeded and immediately thanked the senior cadet.
"Thank you, madam. Thanks for teaching me to control the pre-G bits." He said, looking right at her soft gaze.
"It's you who make this work, well done." She said with an encouraging smile.
Just then, Jamil's instructor has arrived. He saw the spheres scattered on the floor and he looked at Jamil doubtfully.
"Is this all done by you?" he asked.
"Yes, sir." Jamil gladly answered. "And thanks to this.madam, she encouraged me and taught me how to control them."
"So, you're taught by our most brilliant student, then you must pass the test." The instructor said.
"I'm sure he will," said the senior cadet, patting Jamil's shoulder supportively. "Goodbye." She said as she left the room.
Just before she left the room, the instructor called her, "Lucille, would you please go to the office by eleven in the morning? I think we have something to discuss with you." Lucille silently nodded and closed the door.
"Lucille, what a melodic name." thought Jamil. Just then, the instructor called him to have the test. And at the end of the day, Jamil was told that he scored high in the test and got promoted to a higher form.