RBR Chapter 14 Headmaster's Mind

Another day dawned. Time, was a constant, as it never paused or favored anyone. All, were treated equally.

Eric, same as yesterday, was back at school. He found this day particularly vexing because both Elec and his hanger-on buddy kept plastered at his sides as if they had been joined at the hip with him. That threw all the plans that he had had of having a conversation with Leah down the drain, not to mention that she actively kept away. 

School, he had been excited at the fact that he would be attending, but now, all that had drained away today. He only halfheartedly followed this day's classes until something changed.

It was expected, but also unexpected at the same time. It had just struck 12pm, noon, the time of day when most of the students he was observing were wondering within their minds what they were going to have for lunch.

Even he, was anticipating it. Yesterday, it had been a burger with fries, now he was thinking of trying something new. It sucked that he couldn't order something else after the first order unless he was going to pay. He knew how expensive the food could be as artificial farming was a resource guzzler, and that foraged from outside the city had many risks.

"We were mortals before we...evolved."

Eric abruptly sat up. He had been dozing on the desk, but this voice had prompted him. Its tone alone suggested that he hadn't been part of those who had taught yesterday, so he had to find out who it was.

A white lab coat draped over a thin well toned body greeted his eyes. Silky wayward curls grew upon his scalp. The glasses gave the vibe of a researcher if the lab coat didn't already give that impression.

'The headmaster!' 

The title simply popped up in Eric's mind. This time, there was no malice within that gaze, only scrutiny.

The moment he had entered the room, everyone had chosen to keep quiet and perk up, like marionettes on his strings. It wasn't out of fear, Eric could tell that much. It was the general atmosphere surrounding the man, the gloomy, creepy stoicness.

"I have taken over miss Florence. There will be no need to take notes as this will be a discussion, with you probably trying to pry some of the closely guarded secrets from my brain, secrets about my research." 

The moment he spoke, Eric noticed that some students had a change in posture.

(I can sense the desire for knowledge within you has been ignited.) 

The cells noticed the changes within his body first, before he could curb them.

"I believe many of you have read up on the records of how the cell used to look like before it...evolved or in some instances, was improved upon..."

"What makes the current cell different from that of the past? Hmmm? Is it the ability to shape shift? The ability to adopt the most suitable form to survive in any condition? The ability to adapt to all sources of energy?..."

Many hands had been raised, but all went down one by one when he listed out all those things. Eric was hooked upon the man's words. The way he spoke contained a charisma capable of drawing in even the most uninterested.

"...no, its the ability to think as a group! The sentience! If I offend some of you, please do forgive me. I am a scientist first, before anything else. Our brains before the age of erosion were...I believe the word would be incompetent. They had great material that they could mold to their desires, but didn't have the necessary evolution capable of that."

"Headmaster, are you also of that faction which agrees that the current circumstances are good?" One of the students, Eric only knew him as someone, whose family was close to elevating to become a spectrum seven if one of the spots opened up, asked. He couldn't quite see the face, but the teen was probably offended.

"Factions...I don't belong to any. I just pursue science. Imagine this, if our cells never mutated, another thing might have fallen upon us. Would you still ask this same question if we lived underground with a nuclear winter going on above us? There are simply many possibilities in this world."

Many nodded. His words made sense. Eric found that they were reasonable without a doubt. He could also sense that his cells were concentrating on the lesson.

The man had given him the creeps the first time they exchanged glances, but the lesson was just too interesting to ignore.

"The cell collective, as they prefer to be called, learns and grows. I pity many, who choose to concentrate on just one genetic path upon awakening..tsk! Tsk! You unawakened have plenty of potential. If I were to string you up and throw you down a pool, your body would evolve gills in about 5 minutes, provided you don't die first..."

Eric was sucked in. It was just too interesting!

"You spoke as if you were unhappy about the fact that I love this era. Who doesn't? I mean, look at yourself boy. You live within this era! You have never known the one before the Erosion, so, why would you side with those who know? Their stories aren't enough to make you get the picture!" The man spoke with conviction.

"Headmaster, I have a question. What makes this era so appealing to you?" 

Someone asked. Eric was also drawn to the question, curious about the answer.

"It all boils down to one word, knowledge. The collective is the largest archive of genetic information in the world! That archive is what I need." 

His answer moved Eric. It had been genuine, without any falsehood.

(Heh! Even I, the collective can't hold such a massive amount in one part.)

"We humans are born with a brain for a reason! Emotion drives most of our decisions no matter how logical we want to appear. I am driven by the desire to grasp that knowledge within human hands. I imagine a future where, you can instantly grow gills of you want to take a swim in the ocean, grow wings if you want to fly! The possibilities will be endless!"

He stopped here, the whole class silenced by his words. Eric was also pondering the implications, ignoring the echoes in his mind from his cells.

"The other reason I love this era is simple, free evolutionary will. The organism known as a human was rigid during the 21st century. The unevolved brain dulled our control over the cells, but now, we can choose any form we want! Let me ask you, are you really willing to live in the past era, where a simple microbe, bacteria for example, could kill you with disease? Or this era, where your cells actively reject the useless microbes, making sure they never make it into your body?"

"It looks like I diverted somewhat. It was going to be a discussion, but ended up being me doing most of the talking...any questions?" The man adjusted his glasses and asked after a few minutes.

Eric didn't have any at the moment, so he looked around, his gaze falling onto Leah who had raised her arm.

"The outside world is dangerous, Rampagers and the danger of assimilation. How can you like this era, when we have to live within shielded cities?"

"Good question. If I were the head of this city, I would remove the shielding and let everyone either awaken or die...a method almost similar to how your clan does things."

Gasps rang out in the classroom at his candid words. Eric gauged from his expression that he wasn't joking, before ultimately turning back to Leah, who was frozen. It seems that the man's words had some muscle on bone. 

'So, they start from the wilderness.' Eric became even more interested in having a word with her, and judging by how the rest of the class eyed her, they too, were interested.

"This era should be focused on progress, with the law of the jungle more prevalent, just like those failed idiotic barbarians." The man continued, even after he had just dropped such a bomb.

"If we did like you said, then society would be different. Who would have the time to do everything else needed while you research in your lab?" Eric took this chance to ask.

"It would be the weak under the strong. There will be a society structured upon that."

(No wonder he's only a headmaster. Such crazy delusions wouldn't get you anywhere on the leadership pyramid.)

'The school is apparently his. He was only allowed to even open it if he stuck to the regulations.'

"I know many of you are going to go crying to your parents, and I will get plenty of calls about many of the things I spoke of today, I won't lie or deny anything though. The adults are shielding you from the truth of this world, and the moment you graduate from here, you will be thrust into that world without a life jacket, simply because they fear that the knowledge will crush your will..."

"...I don't blame them, as I too see you as weaklings. Only those who survive the rude awakening will be qualified for me to take a second glance, now, Mr. Eric I presume. I do believe you have an appointment with me. So, if you would kindly follow me to my office?" It came out as a question but Eric knew better than to refuse. The glint in those eyes behind the glasses held threats.

Eric stood up, sighing at his ill fate while following on the heels of the man, leaving behind a classroom devolving into chaos.

Chaos, was that the man's intention? Eric wondered as his sight wandered to the back of the white lab coat.