Beta Planet: Rise (36 page)

“Ally, that’s great,” Geon said with a smile, looking in wonder at the device in front of them. “I’m sure it’s going to be impressive to the judges. We’re really proud of you!”

She smiled and thanked all of them for supporting her. Geon knew how important it was to her to have something like this appreciated and used by others.

“Thanks, G. I dunno,” she said pensively. “I just want to contribute something really…
great
, to this world, you know? Something that will really help people.”

They spent the rest of the period looking around at some of the other students’ contraptions, many of which seemed impressive in their own right.

One student named Xolo Wakomi had designed a series of emergency suits, which had built-in zeppwings and flotation devices, and also deconstructed to provide shelter, food, water, and other survival supplies.

Another student, Justo Lamentia, had designed a flood escape-pod that seated four people in a smaller inner rotating shell that always maintained the right-side-up and also had neodymium magnetic ends that would attach to other escape pods when close enough to them, creating a floating safety group of pods.

Helano came up with a portable gadget that would analyze and display the components of any type of substance or liquid. Its primary use was to check questionable water and food in remote areas to see if they were safe to consume, but it had wider applications as well.

Perhaps the most impressive project was by a student named Maganto Resci, who created a system that devised a way that edible plants could be safely grown indoors without any sunlight, using only a system that filtered human waste matter and fluids to nourish it.

That could feed so many people and save so many lives
.
That’s going to be tough for Allea to beat.

Of course, there was Shiv’s duplicator device, and when Geon walked by it with no intention of stopping, Shiv growled, “Keep moving.”

The only project that Geon was confused by was a portable handheld “flavor maker,” made by Stii Barbose, which, with the touch of a few buttons, could instantly create a custom sauce to add to your food to improve its flavor. Geon couldn’t understand why anyone would try to improve something that was a lost cause already, but Kumuki was rapturous at the sight of the device and screeched loudly about how amazing it was.

“It makes sweet, spicy, sour, bitter, fruity, savory, earthy, and more!”

“The tech behind it sound really interesting, but I mean, what the point?” Sabien quietly said to Geon who nodded in agreement. “Instead of covering up the taste of bad food, how about we just get access to better food?”

“I can put it on my pizza, and pasta, and sushi, and soup, and noodles, and drinks and—”

“This might go on all day,” Geon said, walking back to Allea’s table. A beep from the speakers signaled that it was time to take the projects to the designated area for the competition, just outside the school building. He and the others helped Allea carry the two main pieces of her project to her display area and wished her luck as she configured the satellite and device. Geon hoped that she would do well in the competition, but to him it didn’t really matter if she won or not. He was proud of her contribution already and only wanted her to win so that she would be gratified for all her hard work.

After all the tables were setup, there was a hush that passed through the students as a group of bright white PMVs hovered up to the school. The students quietly murmured as Geon whispered to Sabien, asking him what was going on.

“CARE,” Sabien said, his eyes fixed on the PMVs. “They’re here.”

Kumuki looked frightened as he bowed his head, staring at the ground below him. The doors of the PMVs slid open and half a dozen people stepped out, wearing long overcoats, similar to the one Headmaster Ulie wore each day, each of them with a CARE logo on their chest.

That logo. I think it’s the same one from my dreams,
Geon thought to himself as they approached the students and teachers. He noticed that Sabien was still menacingly staring at them with his teeth tightly gritted. The students around him seemed to have a far different perspective than he. Geon saw that everyone was quiet and withdrawn, respectfully standing still and looking down at the ground. Even the teachers, all but professor Ulie, seemed retracted.
They seem scared.

“All right, students. Please be on your best behavior as we have the honorable members of CARE here today to judge your projects. Let us all give some applause to them for doing so much for us and our world and for taking time from their incredibly busy schedules to be a part of this wondrous tradition. They are the reason we have this school and all the other luxuries we enjoy every day!”

The students all joined in applause for the CARE members, who sat in the middle of the area around the headmaster.

“He’s laying on the adoration quite thick, isn’t he?” Geon stated with a smirk.

“He has to,” Sabien said. “He’s probably one of—”

“Okay, students. Let us put the best we have to offer forward, and let the TechSci Concours begin!”

The next couple hours flew by as students walked around to see all the projects and the CARE members made their way from table to table, observing, discussing, and making notes about each project. Geon noticed that some tables would get a strong reception from them, having more face-time and positive body-language responses, while other tables would receive more reserved and aloof reactions, with the CARE members quickly moving on to the next project. One such table was the “flavor maker,” which Geon could clearly see the CARE members were smiling at in jest, barely acknowledging the student and moving quickly on to the next table.

“If they treat Allea like that,” Geon said angrily, “I’ll just lose control. I will absolutely lose—”

“I know, G,” Sabien said. “I see it, too. All the more reason to…
you know
.”

Geon nodded, understanding that Sabien was hinting at Zenith and discovering more about CARE. He wondered if they would ever get to Zenith and find out the truths about the group that was controlling the planet, or if they had seen the extent of what they would ever see and experience.

The CARE members headed to Shiv’s table. Not surprisingly, they were very interested in his project and spent the longest amount of time with him, testing the device and talking to him about it. Allea’s table was next. Geon could see that she was nervous, fiddling with her hair and anxiously fidgeting and pacing about. As the CARE members approached her, a rush of excitement and pride hit him. She smiled and welcomed the CARE members and began her presentation on her device.

“It’s all in their hands now,” Sabien said. “Look at Shiv with that scowl on his face.”

“What a maniac,” Geon said, seeing the flame of jealousy burning on Shiv’s face as the CARE members spent more and more time with Allea.

“They seem interested in hers,” Sabien said. “That’s a good sign.”

“Do you think she will win?”

“It’s hard to say, Kuki. Just remember, their opinion isn’t the only opinion, and it isn’t necessarily the best opinion either,” Sabien replied.

“It isn’t? Then whose is?”

Geon thought about Kumuki’s question for a moment and replied, “The opinion that matters the most is the opinion of the masses. The people that these devices will help.”

The CARE members continued their trek around the tables and finally finished with all the students, talking for some time among themselves and then finally with Headmaster Ulie.

“All right students, gather around and please be quiet. Our honorable CARE members have come to a consensus. They would like to congratulate each and every participant in the competition today, and hope that you all continue to innovate and manufacture wonderful things for next year’s competition! With that being said, I would like to officially congratulate the winner of the 2031 TechSci Concours…”

Geon could feel his stomach drop as he held his breath and stared at Allea. He could see that she was as tense as he and holding her breath as well.

Please say Allea
.
Please say Allea.

“…with a magnificent entry that impressed each of our judges, our Master Innova Award goes to… SHIV BARRON!”

Oh my God. She has to be crushed.

The students politely clapped but Geon could see that many were hoping for others to win.

“Unbelievable,” Sabien said as Kumuki put his hands on his head and cried out in disappointment. Allea had tears in her eyes but seemed to be trying hard to maintain her composure.

I wish I could make her feel better about this,
Geon thought, feeling dejected for her.

“Our distinguished CARE members would also like to give honorable mentions to Xolo Wakomi, Justo Lamentia, and Allea Shay!”

“Woooohoooo!” Kumuki screamed out loudly, clapping his hands.

Geon clapped as well but he could see that it wasn’t enough to boost Allea’s spirits.

“I can’t believe that Maganto didn’t even get an honorable mention!” Geon said to Sabien. “I thought he was the one to beat. I mean, he created a sustainable way of harvesting edible plants indoors. Why would CARE not want to use that?”

“An interesting question, G,” Sabien, said, pensively looking at the CARE members in the distance. “There’s a reason… we just don’t know what it is.”

After the CARE members left, the boys joined Allea and tried their best to make her feel better.

“Thanks, guys,” she said, looking tired and dispirited. “It’s just… I don’t know. I guess I thought that maybe, somehow, this project would actually end up helping people, somewhere in the world. It’s not that I care about winning. I just care about having this technology utilized to help people. Now, I don’t know. I feel like maybe this was all a waste of time!”

She put her face in her hands and began to cry. Geon didn’t want her to feel embarrassed in front of the other students so he motioned for Sabien and Kumuki to form a ring around her, blocking her from others’ view.

“It’s okay, Ally. You did an amazing job and it doesn’t really matter what CARE says. Someday this device or this technology
will
prove useful. I know it! Guys, come closer. Let’s give her a group hug!”

The three boys huddled in and came close for a family hug. It pained Geon to know that his little sister was upset and hurting, and he hoped that she was strong enough to overcome it soon.

“That’s sweet. A bunch of hermits hugging each other.”

Geon turned around and came face to face with Shiv.

“What did you say?” Sabien said loudly, nudging Geon out of the way and walking directly up to Shiv.

“You heard me. You tried to steal my device and I’m the one holding the trophy. You never had a chance.”

Geon found himself getting furious and he could see that Sabien was losing control over his emotions as well.

“We’ve had it with you and your attacks on us you, snake! Take your hollow victory and enjoy it, because tomorrow, no one will even remember this!”

“We’ll see about that,” Shiv angrily said as he stormed off. “We’ll see…”

“I can’t believe that guy,” Geon said, turning back to Allea.

“Thanks guys, for having my back. It means a lot,” Allea said, wiping her now-puffy face and pulling her hair back. “I’ll be okay. It just burns to lose, and especially to
him
.”

“That’s the truth,” Sabien said, still staring at Shiv who was grandstanding with his trophy held high over his head. “Let him have his pseudo-fame. It won’t last. Once we’re on the waterways, it’s a whole different game.”

The race.
Geon had forgotten all about it until Sabien just mentioned it. He was so caught up with the TechSci Concours that he hadn’t really mentally prepared for it. He looked down at his LifeCuff and saw that there wasn’t much time left before the competition. Fortunately, the race was at their school grounds today, so he and Sabien decided to head to the waterways early for some warmup and practice routines.

“G,” Allea said, feigning a smile the best she could. “Don’t even think about anything but the race. I want you guys to win!”

“WIN!”

Allea and Kumuki began dismantling her device to take it back to the lab in while Sabien and Geon rushed to get changed.

As Geon stepped out of the changing room and looked up at the sky, he saw that it was dark and the air was crisp, but it didn’t look like it would rain.

That’s a relief.
Geon looked at the water, trying to avoid the creeping thoughts of what happened at his last race. He and Sabien got in the water and began warming up. Shortly after, they were joined by some of the other riders and Coach Aquila as well.

“SO!” the coach shrieked. “I see you decided not to quit at the last minute again, eh Gen… Geon?”

“No, Coach,” Geon said, standing up on his board. “I’m here to compete.”

“OH! Well
that’s
a relief! I don’t know
what
we would do if you
weren’t
here to help us win!”

“That’s true, Coach,” Sabien interjected with a grin. “We probably would have a repeat performance of our last race. How much did we lose by again?”

The coach looked down at Sabien and clenched his jaw, thinking of a good retort, but it never came. He snorted and turned and walked away.

Geon laughed and thanked Sabe for stepping in. “Don’t let that clown get you down, G. Focus on the race.”

By this time, the stands were completely full of spectators, and Geon could see Allea, Kumuki, Vaya, Vilu, Bonsi, and Mama V all sitting together and waving at him and Sabien.

The largest crowd we’ve had yet
.

Mama V was making quite a spectacle, screaming and chanting over the other students.

“GEON, BABY BOY, YOU GO DO IT! YOU GONNA DO IT! MAMA V HERE FOR YOU MY BABY BOY! YOU RIDE DAT… BOARD… THING. AND DAT WATER… AND, FLY… IN THE AIR! YOU DO IT BABY! MAMA V LOVE YOU!”

“Oh my God,” Geon quietly said, shrinking back down in the water where no one could see him.

“Yep,” Sabien said. “Get used to it. That used to be
me
. Now
you’re
the favorite pup. Humiliating isn’t it?”