Categories > Original > Sci-Fi > P.O.D.
Disclaimer: I own all characters and ideas in this story. Any relations to other stories or work is pure coincidence
It was a crisp autumn day in Owyhee, Nevada. Inside Mandeline High, four students sat bored in room 301; detention.
“Lara Thompson, Cameran Levi, Joseph White, Alexander Stimp,” the teacher called out as he took their attendance. Each student raised their hand as their name was called. “There will be no talking, iPods or airplane throwing. You stay in your desk and in this room. I will be back in a bit.” He put the attendance book on his desk then left the room.
Lara, a well-built girl with flowing black hair and deep green eyes, got up and walked over to the teacher’s desk. She opened one of the drawers in the desk, bent over and started going through all the drawers.
“What are you doing? You’re going to get us in trouble,” cried Cameron, a tall and scrawny boy with red hair, styled in spikes, and bright blue eyes. Freckles covered his nose and cheeks. He was wearing an army green t-shirt and jeans.
“Cool your jets, Cal. I’m looking for the confiscated goods. There’s usually some awesome gadgets,” Lara replied continuing to look through the drawers without looking up. “One time I found an electric lock pick. I’m guessing the person that it was confiscated from got in here because of breaking and entering.”
“What did you call me?” he asked, confused.
“Cal. It’s a nickname. You take the first two letters of your first name and the first letter of your last name,” Lara explained, bent over trying to open the last drawer. “It’s locked,” she said irritated. “Too bad I don’t have that lock pick.”
Alex, dressed in an Italian style suit, got out of his seat and walked up to the desk. “Move aside, amateur. This is a job for the pros,” he said shoving Lara out of the way and moving in front of the locked drawer. He pulled a bobby pin out of his long blonde hair, pulled back into a pony tail. He stuck the pin in the lock and fiddled around with it. The lock clicked and the drawer popped open.
“Nice trick,” Lara commented bending over the drawer to look inside.
A slight smirk stretched across Alex’s chiselled face. A mischievous glint sparked in his grey eyes.
“Junk, junk, junk,” Lara said as she threw random items out of the drawer. “Wait. What’s this? Bingo!” Lara exclaimed, snatching up four gadgets that looked similar to watches. She slammed the drawer shut and stood up.
“Here, catch,” she said, tossing the items to the other three students.
“What are they?” asked a muscular seventeen year old boy with dark eyes and a cowboy hat covering chestnut hair. He was wearing worn out jeans and a denim jacket with a leather collar over a white t-shirt.
“I think they’re watches or sumthin’. Try ‘em on,” Lara replied.
The four grade twelve students put the gadgets on their wrists. The gadgets clasped and adjusted themselves to fit the person wearing it perfectly.
“Cool! It’s so comfortable it’s like it’s not even there,” Joe said amazed.
“I wonder what they do,” Alex stated, studying the device.
“I’m not sure. Whatever it is, the technology is very advanced,” Cal said, obviously the smarter of the group.
The four teens started pressing the buttons on the devices but nothing was happening.
“They’re useless!” Alex said impatiently, getting frustrated.
Cal turned his hand over and noticed a small button on the band holding the gadget onto his wrist.
“Hold on,” he said pushing the button. Instantly the screen lit up and the buttons glowed brightly. “They weren’t turned on,” Cal stated, laughing at their stupidity.
The other three followed suit and pressed the little buttons.
“I wonder what this does,” Joe thought out loud as he pressed a green button.
A holographic image of an old, balding man in a suit came off the screen. “Welcome to the POD instruction manual,” it said to Joe. “What can I do for you?”
“What does POD stand for?” Lara cut in, leaning in to look at the hologram.
The hologram turned towards Lara. “It stands for Personal Objective Device,” it said answering her question politely.
“And… what does it do?” Alex asked.
“Anything, really. That is as long as there’s a good reason for doing it. For example, helping someone in distress,” answered the hologram.
“Sweet! I could get it to do my homework! I wouldn’t have to work another day in my life!” Alex announced excitedly.
“Maybe I should have made myself clearer. It has to be a noble cause for it to work.”
“That sucks,” Alex said, the excitement gone from his voice.
“How do you work it?” asked Cal, annoyed and embarrassed that he hadn’t already figured it out. He normally got things like this by now.
“If you press the yellow button and clearly say the task that you are intending to do and if the POD thinks the task is worthy then is will provide help. You can also press the red button and it will randomly select a task for you to do. If the four of you want to do the same task together then I suggest that you touch your PODs together then press the button,” the hologram explained.
Cal looked down at his POD, puzzled. “Those two buttons weren’t there before.”
Joe pressed the green button again and the hologram disappeared.
“So, shall we try it?” Alex asked.
“If it will get us out of this garbage pit, then definitely,” Lara replied nodding.
They stood up, and facing each other, they touched their PODs together and simultaneously pressed the red buttons.
It was a crisp autumn day in Owyhee, Nevada. Inside Mandeline High, four students sat bored in room 301; detention.
“Lara Thompson, Cameran Levi, Joseph White, Alexander Stimp,” the teacher called out as he took their attendance. Each student raised their hand as their name was called. “There will be no talking, iPods or airplane throwing. You stay in your desk and in this room. I will be back in a bit.” He put the attendance book on his desk then left the room.
Lara, a well-built girl with flowing black hair and deep green eyes, got up and walked over to the teacher’s desk. She opened one of the drawers in the desk, bent over and started going through all the drawers.
“What are you doing? You’re going to get us in trouble,” cried Cameron, a tall and scrawny boy with red hair, styled in spikes, and bright blue eyes. Freckles covered his nose and cheeks. He was wearing an army green t-shirt and jeans.
“Cool your jets, Cal. I’m looking for the confiscated goods. There’s usually some awesome gadgets,” Lara replied continuing to look through the drawers without looking up. “One time I found an electric lock pick. I’m guessing the person that it was confiscated from got in here because of breaking and entering.”
“What did you call me?” he asked, confused.
“Cal. It’s a nickname. You take the first two letters of your first name and the first letter of your last name,” Lara explained, bent over trying to open the last drawer. “It’s locked,” she said irritated. “Too bad I don’t have that lock pick.”
Alex, dressed in an Italian style suit, got out of his seat and walked up to the desk. “Move aside, amateur. This is a job for the pros,” he said shoving Lara out of the way and moving in front of the locked drawer. He pulled a bobby pin out of his long blonde hair, pulled back into a pony tail. He stuck the pin in the lock and fiddled around with it. The lock clicked and the drawer popped open.
“Nice trick,” Lara commented bending over the drawer to look inside.
A slight smirk stretched across Alex’s chiselled face. A mischievous glint sparked in his grey eyes.
“Junk, junk, junk,” Lara said as she threw random items out of the drawer. “Wait. What’s this? Bingo!” Lara exclaimed, snatching up four gadgets that looked similar to watches. She slammed the drawer shut and stood up.
“Here, catch,” she said, tossing the items to the other three students.
“What are they?” asked a muscular seventeen year old boy with dark eyes and a cowboy hat covering chestnut hair. He was wearing worn out jeans and a denim jacket with a leather collar over a white t-shirt.
“I think they’re watches or sumthin’. Try ‘em on,” Lara replied.
The four grade twelve students put the gadgets on their wrists. The gadgets clasped and adjusted themselves to fit the person wearing it perfectly.
“Cool! It’s so comfortable it’s like it’s not even there,” Joe said amazed.
“I wonder what they do,” Alex stated, studying the device.
“I’m not sure. Whatever it is, the technology is very advanced,” Cal said, obviously the smarter of the group.
The four teens started pressing the buttons on the devices but nothing was happening.
“They’re useless!” Alex said impatiently, getting frustrated.
Cal turned his hand over and noticed a small button on the band holding the gadget onto his wrist.
“Hold on,” he said pushing the button. Instantly the screen lit up and the buttons glowed brightly. “They weren’t turned on,” Cal stated, laughing at their stupidity.
The other three followed suit and pressed the little buttons.
“I wonder what this does,” Joe thought out loud as he pressed a green button.
A holographic image of an old, balding man in a suit came off the screen. “Welcome to the POD instruction manual,” it said to Joe. “What can I do for you?”
“What does POD stand for?” Lara cut in, leaning in to look at the hologram.
The hologram turned towards Lara. “It stands for Personal Objective Device,” it said answering her question politely.
“And… what does it do?” Alex asked.
“Anything, really. That is as long as there’s a good reason for doing it. For example, helping someone in distress,” answered the hologram.
“Sweet! I could get it to do my homework! I wouldn’t have to work another day in my life!” Alex announced excitedly.
“Maybe I should have made myself clearer. It has to be a noble cause for it to work.”
“That sucks,” Alex said, the excitement gone from his voice.
“How do you work it?” asked Cal, annoyed and embarrassed that he hadn’t already figured it out. He normally got things like this by now.
“If you press the yellow button and clearly say the task that you are intending to do and if the POD thinks the task is worthy then is will provide help. You can also press the red button and it will randomly select a task for you to do. If the four of you want to do the same task together then I suggest that you touch your PODs together then press the button,” the hologram explained.
Cal looked down at his POD, puzzled. “Those two buttons weren’t there before.”
Joe pressed the green button again and the hologram disappeared.
“So, shall we try it?” Alex asked.
“If it will get us out of this garbage pit, then definitely,” Lara replied nodding.
They stood up, and facing each other, they touched their PODs together and simultaneously pressed the red buttons.
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