There we were, all students enjoying the benefits of Speedlearn, and then one day it was all over. No more lectures, no more art seminars held by the Professors wife in the garden of her home, well it turns out that she's a widower now. Her husband the Professor having died in mysterious circumstances. But this does not explain why the end of Speedlearn!
Okay the friendly face of the Professor was no more, but the Professor was but the friendly face of Speedlearn, and Professors are ten a penny. All you need is another friendly face, adn a computer programmer and away you go. Ah, but then you need a super computer like the General, and there are whispers, whispers of conspiracy and sabotage. I asked Madam Professor about her husbands death, but all she would say was tht her husbands death was linked to his work, and the stress he had been under in completing his last lecture.
No.6 however was more accommodating. Apparently the General blew a short circuit when it couldn't answer a question No.6 had asked of the computer. I told No.6 that computers do not blow a circuit simply because it cannot answer a simple question. No.6 told me that he could not be held responsible for how the General reacted to the question put to it. "What was the question?" I asked No.6 "WHY?"
And what of the death of the Professor? No.6 explained that he was trying to save the General as it was short circuiting, and was being electrocuted. No.12, of Administration, went to try and save the Professors life. Well that is how it appeared to No.6, but as he later told me "I cannot be sure if No.12 was actually trying to save the Professors life, or was committing an act of suicide!" "I suppose we shall never know" I told No.6.
None of which explains why the experiment of Speedlearn came suddenly to a complete stop, and not carried on with.
No.6 was conditioned into thinking that flapjacks are his favourite dish, and after rejecting bacon and eggs, then bacon and devils kidneys, No.6 was offered a plate of flapjacks which he proceeded to scoff them down. So why is it do you suppose, that when No.6 was confronted by a plate of flapjacks in No.2's office, having been invited to breakfast by no.2, that No.6 didn't immediately scoff then down as he had been conditioned to, instead of "picking" at them the way he did? Answers in a comment please.
It would appear that even No.6 felt the desire to hang onto his identity, his number I mean. Because in the village his identity had been taken away from him, and the only way he knew of knowing who he is, is by his number. So when they tried to take even that from him, No.6 fought like a demon to keep it. But who is he supposed to be now? He's not wearing his old school blazer, in fact he appears to be quite negative about the whole thing, wouldn't you say?
So here's No.6, who was 12, but then having gained his persona back, 6 has elected to become 12 again! That's a positive move on No.6's part as he attempts to escape in the guise of Curtis. No.2 might not be one hundred percent as to who is sat with him in the back of the taxi, that time they took a ride to the helicopter together. But No.24-Alison knows who No.6 is, and if given a second chance she wouldn't betray No.6 in the way she had. But there are no second chances. And Alison-No.24 doesn't seem to be the type who could hold out against the use of torture!
I hope No.2 had No.6's file brought up to date, I mean about the removal of that mole once on his left wrist!
Jamming
And believe you me, we're not talking domestic science here, but jammers who like nothing more than messing up the system! I'd heard that No.118, an exocentric artist, knows much about Jamming. So I went to interview No.118, as he worked on the lawn of the Old People's Home.
".... What they do, these jammers, is they talk." "Talk?" I asked. "They talk about the plots they've been hatching." "And what plots may these be?" I asked. No.118 was very specific. "Well escapes mostly. But plans and developments for all kinds of mischief. They do it to confuse the observers. The plots they talk about are always make-believe." "So they never have any intention of escaping?" I asked. "Not when the plots are always make-believe, but then control can't know that until they've checked them out. Used to run themselves ragged investigating the schemes of Jammers." "used to?" I asked "Well they don't bother any more." {I was curious to know why}. "Well they keep a list of known Jammers, and should anything be picked up by control from one of these, they just let it ride."
Then technically a Jammer does have the possibility of escape, if he or she came come up with the right plan! Because if control picked a plan up by a Jammer they would simply ignore it! Later I spoke to the Watchmakers daughter No.50.
"Jamming is one of the most important ways of fighting back" No.50 told me. I asked her if she is a Jammer, but she was reluctant to give an answer. The only trouble with meeting a Jammer, is that you don't know if your being told the truth, or that your being jammed by the person in question. I think I'll keep to my jam on toast, it's not so much of a mouthful to swallow!
Be seeing you
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