Once In Every Ten Thousand Years - 1. Chapter 1

Preface

"Once in every hundred years, they appear.

Why they come and where they're from isn't clear,

But they're here for our world." Howard Christman's Older (The Collectors, 1967)

John is Born

John Christman Anderson was conceived in the second decade of the 21st century. No one knew, but his conception occurred on a significant astronomical day. Three stars were perfectly aligned with a blue and a green planet in different galaxies. One of the stars was the Earth's sun. Even if they did know, it would have been thought a coincidence. After all, hundreds of thousands of children are conceived every day.

He was a typical child. His coloring and stature were what you would expect for a healthy baby boy. There was, however, something a little different about John. From his earliest days, he made intense eye contact with everyone in his field of vision and took an intense interest in inanimate objects around him.

The Exceptional Little Boy

As the months passed, John mentally developed at a surprisingly rapid rate. At two years old, he could speak and write at an adult level. His parents didn't know his mental grade level, only that they could not provide him with the type of education and challenges they hoped would make him happy and provide him with a fulfilling life.

As the months and years passed, he grew in knowledge and mental maturity. He still made initial intense eye contact with strangers but would lose interest in them as soon as he learned everything he felt he could. The brilliant child gained academic notoriety locally, nationally, and beyond. His parent was protective, but they realized their son was special and had something to offer the world. They didn't want to stand in the way.

By age eight, he was studying with the world's preeminent educators. He wasn't in a degree program. His knowledge acquisition was too rapid and diverse to fit into standard programs. The leading educators, scientists, industrialists, and politicians of the times sought to benefit from this exceptional mind. They provided John with everything they determined he needed.

At age ten, he invented a practical, cost-effective 3D video projection technology that allows optimal viewing from any direction or distance. The applications of this technology were practically endless. This invention transformed many fields and industries. Within a short period, the entertainment and gaming worlds were hardly identifiable. There were also significant changes in the medical field. Doctor visits became a thing of the past. Diagnosis and treatment were, for the most part, performed remotely. Even complex surgical procedures were performed via robot at the micro level with the help of John's invention.

When John was eleven, he designed an inexpensive, scalable desalinization process that produced virtually no unwanted byproducts. It produced fresh water at commercial volumes or decrete amounts. Fresh, clean water was abundant, and a new era of increased food production on formerly unproductive land began. Demographers predicted a doubling of Earth's human population in twenty years.

Soon after, he published a paper on wireless power transmission. The scientific community was stunned. No longer would it be necessary to produce energy locally and transmit it through dangerous and inefficient electric cables. Clean energy was produced anywhere in the world and delivered to the customer at a fraction of the historic rates.

Next, he developed a practically cost-free, non-evasive method for analyzing an organism at the molecular level. Not only did this method provide detailed information about any organism, from a virus to a human being, but there was a rumor that it could alter the molecular components of the entity to provide cures or enhancements. If true, most diseases could soon become a thing of the past, and the human life span extended almost indefinitely.

The Teenage Phenom

John Christian Anderson was the most famous and revered person on the planet. His parents and handlers decided to limit his public exposure. To this end, they created a false persona for John. Those who worked with him were subject to strict confidentiality agreements to protect his anonymity. Few knew his age, where he lived, or what he looked like. Most thought he was an eccentric, introverted scientist working in isolation. He was too busy working on his projects anyway.

For all his fame and talent, though, John was physically and emotionally a thirteen-year-old boy . . . and he was changing.

Chapter 1

Ethan and the Summer Job

Ethan was a little anxious. He just turned in his last exam of year ten and was thinking about the summer. All his friends had summer jobs lined up, meaning he would be jobless and alone for much of the next two and a half months. Sure, he'd get together sometimes with his friends in the evenings and their days off, but it wouldn't be the same. A summer job was a right of passage, and he was missing it. His parents didn't believe in summer jobs. His job was school, and like every other year, he would spend three to five days a week of his "vacation" taking classes. He had to admit that it worked. He was an honor student taking honor classes at an academically competitive prep school. He played it down in front of his friends, but he was ranked first in the sophomore class, and unbelievably, he liked school. But, to his mind, there were other things in life, and he was afraid he was missing them.

Ethan knew he was a moderately popular kid at school. He had a lot of acquaintances and a few pretty good friends. He knew some of his fellow students thought he was "hot" but hadn't started dating yet. He'd known he was gay for years but didn't feel he needed to carry the flag. A couple of his friends knew and didn't care. After all, it was the 2020s, and most people no longer have a big problem with it. He'd had some crushes but managed to keep it to himself. He was like any other sexually charged adolescent, but he was intelligent and disciplined enough to realize that the time would soon come when he would meet someone special, or at least he desperately hoped so. Maybe he was old-fashioned, but honestly, he wasn't particularly attracted to the kids at his school. Yeah, there were some hot boys, but it was all over as soon as they opened their mouths. Ethan wasn't attracted to the over-pumped egos of most of these guys. So he waited.

One of Ethan's favorite classes was philosophy. It was an elective course and taught by Mr. Kitchens. Mr. Kitchens was pretty good-looking for an older guy. He was in his late twenties and rumored to be working at the prep school to pursue his academic interests. That didn't make a lot of sense to Ethan. He and the other students thought he was a little mysterious but still the best teacher at the school. It was a surprise when Mr. Kitchens asked Ethan to stop by his office after classes that day. Ethan's curiosity peaked as he walked into the sparse office. Although he had done very well in the Introduction to Philosophy class and enjoyed it very much, he didn't feel he had particularly connected with this teacher. Mr. Kitchens was an attentive teacher but showed little interest in befriending him or anyone else in the class.

At Mr. Kitchens' invitation, Ethan took one of the two seats in front of the desk. Mr. Kitchens rose and walked around his desk to the chair next to Ethan. Even though this was a less formal seating arrangement, the close proximity to his teacher made Ethan nervous for some reason. He squirmed a little in his seat and thought, "Where is this going?".

Mr. Kitchens smiled, "Ethan, thanks for stopping by. You must be relieved now that the school year is finally over. What are your plans for the summer?"

Ethan was surprised by Mr. Kitchens' relaxed and friendly manner. He seems to be a pretty nice guy outside of the classroom. "Nothing planned yet, but my parents expect me to take some classes."

"Is that what you want to do?"

"Not really. I don't mind taking a class or two, but I'd rather get a summer job like my friends. "

Mr. Kitchens's smile deepened. "I may have an opportunity for you, Ethan. There may be a way that you can earn some class credits and make some money at the same time."

"Really! How?" Ethan practically shouted more enthusiastically than a cool teenager should express.

"It might take a while for me to explain this to you. Do you have time now, or would you like to meet later?"

"We can talk now. I was just going to meet up with the guys for an 'End of School Party.' It's OK if I'm late. My mom's not expecting me home until 10 o'clock anyway." Nothing was more important to Ethan than hearing what his teacher had to say.

Mr. Kitchens chuckled, "This won't take that long." He then grew serious. Looking directly into Ethan's eyes, he said, "Ethan, some of what I have to tell you must remain between you, me, and, if you decide to go forward, your parents. Do you agree?"

Ethan looked nervously back at his teacher and replied, "I do, Mr. Kitchens."

His teacher began. "To start, maybe I should tell you a little about me. Before coming to this school, I was a recently tenured professor of philosophy at Stanford University. I hold several advanced degrees in philosophy and psychology. I also have several publications to my credit. Sorry, I know I sound like I'm bragging, but I want to put things in context so you have a better idea of what I'll be asking you to do. And before you ask," he gave Ethan a big smile, "I wasn't fired for some scandalous affair with one of my students or any other nefarious reason. One of my former professors, whom I met while studying in the UK and respect very much, asked me to take a sabbatical to work on a special project. So, I came here at the beginning of the school year. As you may or may not have noticed, I'm carrying a pretty light load at this school. I only officially teach one class. That's the class you took this year. I do, though, have another responsibility outside of this school. I have a special student that I tutor five days a week. He's a little more than special."

"What do you mean?" Ethan asked.

"Do you play video games, Ethan?" Ethan nodded. "This student had a lot to do with the revolution of the gaming industry over the last couple of years."

"You've been teaching John Christian Anderson?" Ethan nearly shouted.

"That's right, Ethan. It's more like having discussions with him. There is little I can teach him at this point."

"Wow, that's amazing. You've actually met him."

"Yes, I have." Mr. Kitchens laughed. "Depending on his schedule, I've spent about an hour a day with him for the last six to eight months."

"What's he like? Nobody seems to know anything about him. From what I've heard, he's kind of young, maybe in his thirties. How old is he? What's he look like? Does he have a sense of humor? What does he do for fun? Is he..."

"Hold on, Ethan," Mr. Kitchens interrupted with a laugh, "I'll answer all your questions. Give me a chance. First of all, he's a little younger than you are. He'll be fourteen next week."

Ethan's mouth fell open in disbelief. He had read about John's inventions. Hell, they were part of the curriculum in some of his science classes. Like most significant discoveries, they were simple once you understood them, but getting to that understanding was certainly a challenge. Being into gaming, Ethan had a fundamental understanding of the 3D technology, but he understood less of the desalination process and practically nothing about wireless transmission and molecular identification. He couldn't imagine what it would take to think that shit up. Ethan was a smart kid, but this was a kind of smart he couldn't even conceive of. And John was only fourteen years old. F**k!

Mr. Kitchens could guess what was going through Ethan's mind. He had experienced similar revelations and the resulting shock from his interactions with John. He decided the best thing to do was divert Ethan's attention by answering more of his questions.

"He's a good-looking boy, I guess. He's a little thin, maybe, but average height for his age, maybe an inch or two shorter than you. I suspect he's still growing. As far as a sense of humor, I'd say no. He takes things very seriously. I don't think he's had the time or means to develop a sense of humor. I have never heard him laugh, and I think he smiles only as a courtesy. He does take pleasure in his work, though. His parent gave him an Xbox a few years ago. That's when he started to explore the 3D technology he invented." Mr. Kitchens paused and looked up at Ethan. "Do you have any other questions"?

Ethan responded pensively, "Yeah, what do I have to do with this?"

Mr. Kitchens felt for his young student. It must be disheartening to realize that as an optimistic and talented fifteen-year-old, you've already been far surpassed by someone younger than yourself. Ethan couldn't hope to approach the accomplishments of this youthful prodigy. Of course, neither could anyone else. The next few minutes of their discussions would make all the difference. He knew that he must choose his words carefully. Ethan could easily be overwhelmed by what he is being asked to do.

"From an early age, John has been under intense scrutiny from influential adults looking to exploit his unique abilities. I don't mean to imply that they intentionally set out to harm him. As far as we know, there's never been anyone like John before, and no one knows what is best for the boy. About a year ago, he started asking questions about the world and the problems he saw around him. Until then, almost all of his instructors were eminent experts in the math and sciences. That's why I was brought in. During my postgraduate studies in the UK, I wrote a paper on child isolation and the impact of that isolation on development. Despite people surrounding him for much of his working day, he is still isolated in some fundamental ways. He has missed out on a lot of social development that most of us take for granted. Ethan, do you follow me so far?"

Ethan thought about this for a few seconds and replied. "I'm not sure. What kind of social development?"

"I'll give you a couple of examples. Did you attend any playgroups or preschools when you were a kid?" Ethan nodded. "You might not realize it, but you were being socialized with your peer group. You learned how to make friends, get along with others, and very importantly, you learned to see things from someone else's perspective. Now that you're in high school, do you ever get together with your friends and talk about stupid stuff?"

"Yeah, all the time," Ethan replied.

"John's never had a chance to bullshit with friends."

Ethan started to crack up at Mr. Kitchens' use of the word bullshit.

Mr. Kitchens chuckled, happy that Ethan was a little less tense. "We're not in class now. I can talk like a normal human being in my office. Just don't tell anyone."

Growing serious again, he continued, "It's just that John has grown up under unusual conditions. For the most part, he's only interacted with some very serious people decades older than himself. He has missed out on his childhood, which is causing him some problems. And Ethan, that's where you come in."

Mr. Kitchens held Ethan's gaze before continuing.

"I would like you to join us in our daily sessions. I feel it would benefit John to have someone close to his age involved in the discussions, and I believe this would benefit you as well. We have some heady discussions. I've learned so much while with John, and I know you would, too."

Ethan didn't know what to think. His mind was whirling with so many emotions and thoughts. "Why me?"

"That's easy," said Mr. Kitchens. "You passed the interview."

"What interview? What are you talking about?"

"Within a week of working with John, I realized that he needed to connect with people his age, but who? That's when I decided to find a highly-ranked school to recruit someone from. Your school met the requirement and was within forty miles of John's location. After a few phone calls from influential people, I was the new Philosophy teacher at Sonoma Day Academy. The first screening was easy. Not too many students were interested in taking an honors philosophy class. Forty-eight students expressed interest. Considering the nature of the conversations with John, it's unlikely that someone without interest would work out. The FBI, CIA, and their international partners ran detailed background checks on each student and their family, and I spent a couple of long days reviewing everyone's school records."

"FBI! CIA!" exclaimed Ethan.

"John is the most valuable resource on the planet. Anyone or anything that might come in contact with him is given the highest scrutiny. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but six students didn't pass the background checks. My review reduced the total to twelve, seven boys and five girls. Given John's age and isolation, I thought a male might be a better choice for the position, but I wanted to keep an open mind. I know he needs to meet girls, but I didn't want to overwhelm the boy immediately. During the term, I naturally reviewed the student's academic abilities, but even more importantly, I observed each student's interaction.

"So ... Why me?

Academically, you're a star. You did very well in all your classes and of all my students," he smiled and gave Ethan a friendly wink. "you 'asked the hardest question' in class. I could tell you were thinking through the concepts. There was something else, though."

"What was that?" asked Ethan.

"During the classroom discussions and debates, you never made yourself appear superior at the expense of a classmate. The other kids like and respect you. You possess a rare combination of intelligence, likability, and integrity. These are the characteristics I think would help me most in working with John. This is why I'm offering you the position. What do you think, Ethan?"

"I don't know what to say. It's a lot to take in." Ethan paused and suddenly grew pensive. "Umm ... There's something I should probably tell you. I'm gay".

"I know, and it doesn't matter. I assume John is straight, but I don't know. Anyway, I want to give you some time to think about it. I would appreciate it if you didn't discuss this with anyone until you've decided if you're interested in taking it on. If you decide not to go ahead, no problem, I understand, and we can both try to forget we ever had this discussion. If, on the other hand, you want to proceed, the two of us can meet with your parent to discuss the 'class' with them."

"OK," replied Ethan. "Can you give me until Monday to decide?"

"Sure, let's talk on Monday. I'll be in the office doing some end-of-term cleanup." Mr. Kitchens scribbled his mobile number on a pad of paper and, smiling, gave it to Ethan. "Call me any time."

Ethan took the number and asked, "Do you want my number?"

Mr. Kitchens gave him a friendly smirk. "I already have it."

"Oh yeah, the FBI and CIA, right?

His teacher nodded. "Is 10:00 Monday morning a good time to get together?"

"Sure, you want to meet here?"

"Yes, and if you have any questions or concerns of any kind, call me."

"I will," He replied, returning a nervous smile.

Ethan left his teacher's office deep in thought. He had a lot of things to figure out between now and Monday.

On one hand, he was complemented by what his teacher said about him. He knew he was a good student but never realized he'd gained so much respect from his teachers and fellow students. On the other hand, he was scared. Thinking about it, he guessed he always had a lot of confidence in himself. He wasn't boastful or cocky but rarely questioned his abilities. This thing with John Christian Anderson was something completely different. What could he contribute in the discussions with this man, kid, person, whatever he was? Suddenly, he felt inferior and excited at the same time. At that moment, he decided he would do it. He still planned to give himself until Monday to change his mind, but he was doing it for now. After all, 'You only live once' and all that crap.

He was relieved, and a smile brightened his face. After all, he might have a summer job, and it was time to party with his friends.